6201

AER'DATA $9'95'
',"TERNATT.NAL

Fi*.rs
mrHffirII Volume1

Fw 190A O SpitfireMk | & ll o P.51D

B f 109E o HurricaneMk I o P.47D

ff.:F

squadron /signal Publications

 AERODATA TNTERNATICDNAL

Fighlers ^.FLl-

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mrldffirII Volume1

Fw 190A o SpitfireMk | & ll o P-51D

B f 10 9 E o H urri c aneMk l o P -47D

squadron /signal publ ications

 Inc.
Publications,
Published1980by Squadron/Signal
1115CrowleyDrive
Carrollton,Texas75006

tsBN 0-89747-109-1

Copyright O 1980VintageAviation PublicationsLtd.,

VAP House,StationFieldIndustrialEstate,Kidlington,
Oxford,England,and no part may be reproducedin any
way withoutthe priorpermissionof the publishers.
 FOCKE-WULF19OA
B y P e t e rG . Co o k s le y

Fig. I One of the first FIIt 190A-1s of Jagdgeschwader 26, based in Northern France, pictured on patrol over the English Channel.
[AIl photographs courtesy Bruce Robertson unlessotherwise credited.]

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Fig. 2 Three FW I90A-1s seen durinS,

engine run-up tests.

Fig. 3 The first prototype, the I'l{ I90YI

D-OPZE, in its originalform with its I,550hp
BMW 139 radial engine fitted with a ducted
spinner to reduce drag.

Fig. 4 In 1940 the FW IgAVl's ducted

spinner was removed, due to engine over-
heating, and replaced by d tight-fitting
NACA cowling, Note factory radio call
sign FO + LY replacing civil registration.
:--*."
Fig. 5 Early FW 190 prototypes and pre-
production aircraft had short-span wings as
seen to aclvantage here on the lt'k, which
introduced the new BMLl 80lC engine.

$
 The RAF Station at Pembrey, a few miles west of
Swanseain South Wales, was all activity as technicians
both Service and civil converged on the base from all
over the United Kingdom to examine the German
fighter there, for, on 23 June, 1942 a surprised Ober-
leutnant Arnim Faber had been captured by the duty
officer brandishing a Very pistol when the Nazi had
landed an intact Focke-Wulf FW l90A-3 after a naviga-
tional error in mistaking the Bristol Channel for the
English Channel. Re-marked MP499, the machine was
flown on test and the secretsof the excellent fighter
which the RAF had been encountering in increasing
numbers were finally laid bare.
The beginnings of these designshad been made as
early as 1937 when a development contract had been
*",..
*".r'*'
placed with the Focke-Wulf company of Flughafen, the
resultant prototype flying two years later under the
designation FW 190V1. A second prototype, the
FW 190V2,flew in the autumn of 1939and, like the Vl,
it originally had a ducted spinner.
With the changeof engine from the BMW 139 to the
BMW 80lC which, in that form or the later BMW 80lD
was to power the subsequentservicemachines,oppor-
tunity was taken to move the cockpit aft as pilots com-
plained of the heat due to the close proximity of the
engine.The poor view on the ground from this position
was to cause many taxying accidents in the years to
follow and the first of these was to bring about the
destructionof a later prototype when it collided with a
tractor.
 Fig. 6 The first pre-production batch of the
FW 190 were known as A-Os, and from the
eighth one onwards they featured an enlarged
wing, as seen on this example, to improve
manoeuvrability.

Fig. 7 Rear view of FW I90A-I SB+ID

showing the 190's wide-track undercsrriage,
which, as in the case of the Hawker Hurricane,
was a distinct advantage during take-off and
lanrling compared with the narrow-track
units of the Me 109 and Supermarine Spitfire.

Fig. 8 Secondproduction FW 190A-1.

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Frg. 9 Several of the later A-O pre-production machines, including this one, b,ere tested by II. /JG26 at Maldeghem in Belgium.

While the work was going on, construction had
begun of 28 FW l90A-0s for serviceevaluation, the first
sevenretaining the short-spanwings of one of the later
prototypes. The majority of these,deliveredat the begin-
ning of the winter of 1940, were the subject of trials at
Rechlin-Roggenthinwhere it was discoveredthat faults
with the hood which might prevent escapefor the pilot,
cowling fasteners,and a tendencyof the motor to over-
heat all required attention, the latter being effected by
modification to the large cooling fan in front of the
engine.There was also the need for some re-stressingof
the aircraft. Despite these shortcomingsthe reports on
the new fighter were largely enthusiastic,a point of
particular commendation being the wide-track under-
carriage which simplified ground handling on indif-
ferent surfaces.
There followed a batch of 102 fighters for operational
testing, their description being FW l90A-1, and the
order was complete by the early summer of 1941.
Although these were largely well received there was some
disappointment with the fire power afforded by the four
7.3mm calibre MG l7s synchronisedto fire through the

Frg. 10 An early A- I, with factory call-sign markings, undergoes inspection before a test flight.

.ril

airscrew disc and the two 20mm MG FFs in the wings.
This had been anticipated and in the FW 190A-2 the
wing root mounted weapons were another pair of MG
FFs with twin 20mm MG l5ls in the outer panels.
By the time of the arrival of the FW l90A-3 in l94l
an engine change had benefited performance and the
BMW 80lC-2had been replacedby the BMW 801D-2,
while the Oerlikon guns in the wing roots had been
moved outboard and replaced by Mausers with a higher
rate of fire. Meanwhile a fighter unit in the Le Bourget
area had, in May of the same year, been the first one to
receivethe new fighter although its baptism of fire came
with an action involving Adolf Galland's JG 26 based
on the Channel coast.
There followed a number of variants falling into the
rebuilding category denoted by the suffix "U" from the
word Umbau indicating that the conversion to a
different role or structural modification had been
achieved either to completed airframes or changes
carried out on the production line.
A similar suffix of "R" (Rustsatz), although not
introduced until the fitting of WGr 2lcm rocket tubes
on the A-4/R6 model, showedthat the changehad been
brought about by means of a kit of conversion parts.
The first large-scale action involving the FW l90A
was that concerned with the dash up the English
Channel of the battle cruisers Scharnhorst and
6
Fig. 11 Oblt Arnim Faber's FW I90A-3
(rI/ Nr 313) which landed by mistake at
RAF Pembrey, in South Wales, providing
the Allies with valuable information on the
fighter. [via Philip J. R. Moyes.]
Fig.12 Faber's aircraft at the Royal Aircraft
Establishment, Farnborough, in RAF
camouflage and serialled MP499. [via Philip
J. R . Moves.l
Gneisenau, each of 26,000 tons, together with the
10,000ton Prinz Eugen on l2 February,7942 under the
protective umbrella of over 200 FW 190s operating
with a handful of Me l09s in groups of 32 each, 16
providing the actual cover with a similar number at
instant readiness; one recalls that at the time it was
noted that the Nazi fighters had to lower their flaps and
landing gear on occasions in order tq reduce speed
sufficiently to hold thei| sights on the obsolete British
naval Fairey Swordfish torpedo machines long enough
to make sureof a kill.
During the midsummer of 1942 there appeared the
A-4 model which incorporated MW50, the Methanol-
Wasser fuel injection system, a few such models having
MG FFs in the wing roots, although this was not
general; JG 2 (Richthofen) was one unit equipped with
this variant. Of interest too is the fact that the A-4 was
the only example of the A seriesto be employed in the
Bv 246 "Hailstone" iong-rangeglide-bombexperiments
-the Bv 246 being a projected replacement for the
Fi 103, better known as the Vl flying bomb. Although
it was anticipated that the small explosive-packed
glider should be flown in groups of three from bombers,
for trial purposes a single such missile was launched
from underneath the fighter where it was retained in
position on a crutch between the undercarriagelegs.
The basic version of the A-4 was aiso oroduced in a
 *- ft .**&
tr

Figs. 13, 14, 15 & 16 More views of Faber's

A-3 at Farnborough, including close-ups of
the engine, nose armament, undercarriage
and tail unit which will be of special value
to modellers. R.4F trainer-style paint scheme
comprised dark earth/dark green upper
surfaces and yellow under surfaces. lvia
P hi l i p J. R . Moyes.l

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Fig. 17 Faber's A-3 readyfor take-offat Farnborough.
tropical form which incorporated filters for operations
in dust-ladenclimates and a rack for a 5501b(250kg)
bornb. Works-rebuilt models of the basic model
included the A-4lUl, a heavy fighter-bomber armed
orrly with a pair of MG 151s-one of the best guns
produced by the Mauser Works-and two ETC 501
externalstoresracks. The /U3 was the prototype of the
later FW l90F-l and this was followed by the /U8, a
long-range fighter-bomber with provision for drop-
tanks. Final sub-versionof the type was the FW l09A-4
which was produced by means of the /R6 kit which
allowed the carriageof WGr 2l rocket-launchingtubes
under the outer wing panels,while the MW50 injection
was deleted.
When, during 1942, the A-5 made its appearance it
was immediately remarked that the length had been
increasedby about six inches(152.5mm)due to a change
of enginemounting but apart from this and a decreased
weight it differed little from the form previously
described.It did, however,provide the basisfor a range
of variants of great variety and in its basic form was the
subject of the "Mistel" composite trials in which a
fighter, which could also be of the A-8 form, was
mounted above the bulk of an explosive-packed Junkers
Ju 88 and releasedover the target by the pilot of the
upper aircraft. Of even greater interest was the pro-
gramme to modify several A-5 machines for use in
connectionwith experimentsinvolving the Cotha glider
fuel tank in which a 143 gallon (650litre) airborne tank
was flown above and behind a conventional fighter by
means of twin steelcables.Once the fuel in the manned
aircraft was exhaustedthe glider could be drawn down
to outriggers on the powered rirachine and, after its
contents had been transferred, finally jettisoned; the
idea was neveremployedoperationally.
While the A-5 was a particulariy rich sourceof proto-
t4
types for future development-the /U10 to /U12
versions becoming the 1904-6, the 190A-8/R3 and
l90F-8/R3, and 190A-8/Rl with the l90A-6/Rl respec-
tively-especially worthy of interest is the A-5lU8
version which was modified to carry a single torpedo-
bomb under the fuselage.This weapon, which carried
chargesin its different forms varying from over 2,0001b
(907kg)of explosiveto in excessof only 2001b(90.7kg)
was a bulky item and due to its large diameter the lower
fin had to be removed to provide the machine so
modfied with sufficient ground clearance. Normally a
pair of SC500 bombs, each with a warhead of 5951b
(270k9), were carried under the wings of unmodified
heavyfighters.
By this period the FW 190 was being used in
increasing numbers on all war fronts and tests were
begunwith a view to its employmentfori.naritime work.
Consequentlythe /Ul4 version of the A-5 was intro-
duced with a rack under the fuselageto take a torpedo,
and to facilitate ground clearance the tailwheel was
mounted on a stalky extension.This type led in turn to
the A-5lUl5 which incorporatedthe lessonslearnt from
the previous type, but in fact only three of the latter
modelswere built.
The RAF had by now discovered that it had a sound
adversary in the German fighter and that from some
points of view it had the edgeover machinesopposedto
it. The earliestreaction to its appearancewas that the
choice of radial engine, a decision that had initially
causedsome surprisein Germany, indicated a shortage
of suitablein-line engines.Recognition manuals of the
period stressedthe resemblanceof the Focke-Wulf to
the Curtiss P-36, several of which were to be seen in
British skies following the French collapse, having
originally been ordered for use by the Arm6e de I'Air.
The fact that both sideswere alive to this similarity is
Fig. l8 ,4 FIl I90A-3 in service with the I'urkish Air Force.
shown by the use of captured P-36s as decoys on air-
fields within range of British low-level attacks where,
with the added deception of German markings, they
drew their shareof fire.
In the theatresof war as widely separatedas Russia,
Africa and Great Britain the FW 190rapidly becarnethe
symbol of the Luftwaffe's fighter arm, and in this
country the type became associatedwith the so-called
tip-and-run raids which, despite this propaganda-
chosenname. were never as casual nor as innocent as
the term seemedto indicate. Only the day before this
text was begun an eye-witnessrecalledto the author the
sight of half-a-dozen Focke-Wulf 190 fighters with
bombs under their bellies streaking at low level up a
valley in Kent with guns blazing to destroy the barrage
balloons at the head of the vale before they could be
Fig. 19 An A-4, probably of IV. / SKG 10, on the German uirfield at Cognac in Occupied France in I 943.
raisedto operationalheight.
Although this fighter is always rernernbered as the
backboneof the Nazi German Air Forces,completeness
demands that mention is made of the type with other
irations for, acrossEurope, a common sight in Turkish
skies was that of' l90s in formation with Spitfires since
both nations suppliedaircraft to the Turkish Air Force.
Both types of fighter retained the camorrflagesystemin
which they were delivered, but for national markings
they boastedthe rvhite-outlinedred squareon the wings
alone whiie the rudder rvas marked with a erescent
moon and a single star on an entirely red background"
The only fuselagemarking was a largered numeral.
Surprisingly enough some 190s also flew in French
colours and it is worth noting thai the type was built in
French factoriesduring the occupation of that country.
l5

Fig.20 Plan view of d captured A-4/U8, serialled PE882' on test.
It landed in enor at RAF /[/est Malling, Kent, during the early hours
of 17 April, 1943.
Some machines,mostly FW 190A-8s,were pressedinto
service following capture but after withdrawal of
German forces production went ahead at the SNCA
underground factory at Cravant near Auxerre where
they were termed NC 900s.The first of these,an A-5, was
completedas early as 16 March, 1945and such records
as survive state that No 63 made its acceptanceflight on
14 March a year later, only one other, No 64, being
completed. However that may be, it is known that
No 62, an A-8, stands on exhibition in the Mus6e de I'Air
and several similar machines flew with the Normandie-
Niemen GC Ill/5 in company with Yak-3s. Thesemay
have been captured examplessince the servicelife of the
type was a short one, mainly due to the use of engine
parts for the BMW 80lD which had beenmanufactured
Fig.21 A I90A-4of 1,/SG54 "Griinherz"carryinga 500kgSC500bomb.
t6
for the Germans by French labour who found it a
comparatively easy task to over-temper components so
that the motors were certain to seize after even a
moderate period of running. Limited funds prevented
the production of fresh parts and as no alternative
power plants could be procured the NC 900 quickly
faded into oblivion.
Markings of the French machines were unspectacular
and consistedonly of the usual Tricolore roundels in the
normal six positions against the camouflage finish of
the period. On the fuselage, roundels had a narrow
yellow rim. The rudders were picked out in the shadesof
the Tricolore and it is interesting to note from a
surviving example that the divisions were not equal but
in strict accordanceto the proportions of the French
national flag, namely 90:99:I I l, respectivelyblue, white
and the colour at the trailing edge red. Superimposed
on theseappeared,in descendingorder, one above the
other, NC 900, Type ,A'5(or A8) as a single line, with
the serial,eg No 35, just below the mid point.
Lesser known is that a single FW l90A-5 ran the
Allied blockade during the summer of 1943 and was
assembledin Japan prior to a concentrated programme
of flight testing and evaluation in the following
September. To facilitate this, instructional manuals
were translated into Japanese and the instruments
re-marked. Flown againstthe then advancedNakajima
Ki.84 Hayate, known to the Allies as "Frank", it
proved itself superior according to the report of one of
Japan's foremost military pilots of the day, Major
Kuroe; and Major Katakura discovered that it was
possible to land it at high speedwithout the aid of flaps
when a wrench, carelessly left in the mechanism,
preventedhis using them. However, final reports were
less enthusiastic, for while they still especially mention
the exceptional speed at maximum power and the ease
of control in a dive, the manoeuvrability is described as
poor. The ultimate fate of this particularly interesting
specimen is obscure; it appears to have either been
dismantledor oossiblv wrecked earlv in 1945 since it is
Fig. 22 An A-4/U8 long-range fighter-bomberwith two 300Jitre
droptanksanda SC 500bomb, Fig.23 An A-5/U8 long-range
fighter-bomberwith a 1(M0kgSB lNn bomb,lowerfin of whichhas
beenremoved for groundclearance.

on record that the cowling and motor were in the

Kawasaki experimental shops at Kagamigahara in
March of that year and were still there when the Allies
occupied the factory in September. Its sojourn in the
East was not without profit, however, for it is on record
that when the inverted-Vee-engined Kawasaki Ki.6l II
was being re-designed as the radial-engined Kawasaki
Ki.l0O-la, the BMW installation was employed as a
model for the Japaneseproduct. The few photographs
which survive of the type show it marked in German
camouflage with the undersurface colouring brought up At the same time as these tests in the Far East work
almost to the cockpit lip with a wavy demarcation line was going on at the Focke-Wulf plant on the production
on the fuselage and Japanesenational markings, white- of a new lightenedmodel which was to become known
edged,in the usual six positions. as the ,4.-6;this had a cannon with a higher rate of fire in

Fig.24 A FW 190A-8/R7 Assault fighter showing the armoured canopy and additional armour plate in the cockpit area.

t7
Frg. 25 A I W I90A-S / U3 found by Allied troaps on d former Lufiwaffe airfield in Italy in September 1943,
the outer rving positions. The /Rl nodification was a
heavy fighter version with eight guns, two MG l7s and
six MG 151s,which enteredserviceon the Easternfront
at the end ol November, 1943. Four of these weapons
were carried, two in each of a couple of gortdolasunder
the wings.
The lR2 was the inevitable fighter-bornber version
and there followed a heavy fighter project known as the
/R3. On the next variant the Glv{ I booster fuel tanks in
wings and fuselage were introduced with rocket tubes
under the wings and outboard guns deleted on the
A-6lR6 of late 1943. This was closely followed by a
n:odel rvith l3mrn guns above the fuselage and a
strengthened undercarriage and several Rustsatz modi-
ficaticn inodels before the second type utilised in the
"Mistei" trials, the A-8 with increasedinternal fuel
Fig.26 FW 190A-4YL+FG carryinga Blohmand YossBv 246
glicler bomb.
t8
capacity,arrived. Of these|he /U1 is of especialinterest
for it representedan attempt to produce a training two-
seat version as weli as providing the prototype of the
iater 1905-8.To add the additional seatthe cockpit was
extendedtowards the rear and a slight "pinch" incor-
porated in the glazing in order to provide some degree
of forward vision from the rear seat. Only a very few
were produced, all conversionsof standardA seriesair-
craft. An A-8 was one of two FW 190s(the other was an
F3) used in the interestingtests of the "Doublerider"
streamlined auxiliary fuel tank which was mounted
above each wing and tapered off aft of the trailing edge.
A number of sutr-forms of the trasic A-8 model
foilowed until 1944 saw a change of power piant with
the adoption of the BMW 801TS/TH F, but by the time
the A-10 was produced it was obvious that the develop-
ment potential of the basic A-type airframe had been
exhaustedand subsequentwork was concentrated on
the FW 190V 13, the prototype of the proposedFW l90B
seriesof high-aititude fighters.
Although the Focke-Wulf 190 was a fast, adaptable
and highly manoeuverableaircraft,its position in aviation
history probably lies as much with the degreeof tech-
nical expertiseincorporated in the design than anything
else.There were, for example,no cooling gills to disturb
the airflow through the cowling of which the diameter
was only a little under four and a half feet (1370mm),
but instead a cooling fan, geared to something approach-
ing three times the engine revs. The 14 individual
exhaustswere close set under the trailing edge of the
cowline and the circular radiator desienedto blend into
 "-4

t*':*;g*x*.e,ffi
Fig. 27 The experimental FW I90A-5/U14 torpedo fighter'

the contours of the mounting was protectedby armour Fig. 28 This NC 900, French-built version of the FW l90A-8, is
preserved in the Musie de I'Air in Paris.
plate of between 5 and 3mm thickness.At the time of
the British examination of the Pembrey machine interest
was excited by the shock-absorbingprovision of the
main undercarriage and the partially retractable tail-
wheel. The main legs had a 15 inch (381m) travel and
the gear driven by an electric motor worked on the
worm and pinion principle to run a system of cables to
operate the tailwheel. The tail trim was also incor-
porated in the highly developed electrical system and
protection for the pilot was generous, including an
armoured seat and a2t/zin (63.5mm) thick windscreen
raked back at 63 degrees,but againsttheserefinements
must be seenthe fact that the duration of the FW 190 was
only in the region of two hours and the first reports on
the captured machine consideredthe general finish to be
poor.

Fig.29 A-S/UI2 H/ Nr 8t3, caftying 2hnm MG 151 cannon in twin underwing packs, was used for armament trials.
four

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 THE FW I9OA SERIES A-8/R2 GM I version with increased
gross weight.
Type Remarks A-8/R3 Ground support. Believedproject
FW l90A-0 Pre-production machines for only.
evaluation. A-8/R7 Assault fighter.
A-1 Initial 102 for operational testing. A-8/R8 Assault fighter with modified
A-2 Wing span increased by 7 lzin armament.
(1 9 0 .5 m m ). A-8/Tl I All-weather fighter.
A-3 Improved armament. A-8/Rl2 Projected version with modified
A-3/Ur Fighter bomber. MG FFs replaced armament,
by bomb racks. A-9 Engine change.
A-3/U3 Increasedweight and speed. A-9lR8 Assault fighter project.
A-3/U4 Reconnaissancefighter. A-glRl1 All-weather fighter with turbo-
A-3/U7 Fighter bomber with MG FFs. supercharger.
replaced. A-9/Rl2 All-weatherfighterproject.
A-4 MW50 fuel injection system. A-10 Long rangeescortfighter.
A-4/Trop. With filters and rack for 5501b
(2s0kg1bomb.
A-4/Ul Twin MG 15ls plus a pair of SPECIFICATION - FW 190A-3and A-8
bombracks.
A-4/U3 Ground support fighter, became Dimensions:Span 34ft 53/sin(10500mm);length (A-1,
FW 190F-1. A-2, A-3, A-4) 28ft 10%in (8798mm),(A-5, A-6, A-7,
A-4/U8 Long range fighter bomber with A-8, A-9) 29ft 43hin(8950mm);wing area 196.98sqft
drop-tanks. (18.3sqm).
A-4/R6 No MW50. Fitted with rocket Powerplant:BMW 80lD-2 14 cylindertwin-row radial
tubes. producingl,580hpat 2,700rpmat takeoff and l,760hp
A-5 Length increased by 6in at 3,000rmpat 18,000ft(5500m).
(152.5mm). Performonce:Max speed(with over-ride boost from
A-5/U2 Night fighter. methanol-water50 per centinjection(MW50) which in-
A-5/U3 Groundsupport. creasedenginepower for a continuousperiod of ten
A-5/U4 Reconnaissance fighter. minutesbelow rated altitude on A-4 type) 395mphat
A-5lU8 Long rangefighterbomber. 17,000ft (636km/h at 5200m), 326mph at 4,500ft
A-s/u9 Twin MG l5ls plus Twin MG (525kmlh at 1400m),390mphat 20,000ft(628km/h at
131s. 6100m);A-8 405mphat 2O,5O0ft(652km/h at 6250m),
A-5lUr0 BecameFW 190A-6. 355mph(57lkm/h) at sealevel.
A-5/Urr Heavyfighter, becameFW l90A- Rateof climb:to 16,500fr(5030m)4.75min,to 18,000ft
8/R3 andF-8/R3. (5486m)6.25min.
A-5/Urz Heavyfighter, becameFW l90A- Serviceceiling:37,000f1(11,300m) with normalfuel load.
8/Rl andA-6/Rl. Range:500miles(800km)on internalfuel.
A-5lUl3 Long range fighter bomber, Weights:A-3 loadedweight8,3781b (3800kg); A-8 loaded
becameFW 190G-3. weight 9,4521b(4287kg),with additional25.3 imp gall
A-5/U14 Experimentaltorpedofighter. (ll5 litre) fuselagefuel tank fitred 9,7001b(4400kg),
A-5/Ur5 Special torpedo fighter, three A-8 max permissibletake off weight(usingdrop tanks,
built" etc)10,8031b (a900kg).
A-5/U16 Special bomber destroyer with Tonkage:I15.5imp gall (525litre).Additional25.3imp
30mmMK 108guns. gall (ll5 litre) fuselagetank could be fitted to A-8;
A-5/Ur7 BecameFW l90F-3. A-3 l0 imp gall (45 litre) oil; A-8 12imp gall (55 litre) oil.
A-5lR6 Fitted with WGr 21 cm rocket Armament: A-3-twin synchronised7.9mrnRheinmetall-
tubes. Borsig MG17 machine-gunsabove the cowling; twin
A-6 Airframe lightened. synchronised 20mmMauserMGl5l cannonin the wing
A-6lRl Heavyfighterwith eightguns. roots and twin 20mm Oerlikon MGFF cannon in the
A-6/R2 Fighterbomberversionof .4-6. wing panels.Total fire power6lOlb/min(276.7kg/min,
4-6lR3 Heavyfighterproject. Rateof fire: MGIT machine-guns, 600roundsper minute;
A-6/R4 GM I fitted. MGl5l cannon,700roundsperminute;MGFF cannon,
A-6lR6 Fitted with WGr 2l cm rocket 450roundsper minute.Ammunition: MGIT 1,000rounds
tubes. per gun; MG15l 230roundsper gun; MGFF 60 rounds
A-7 Modified armarnentand strens- pergun.
thenedu,/c. A-8-two MGl3l l3mm machine-guns above the
A-7/Rl Heavyfighter. cowling(with 475 roundsper gun), two MGl5l 20mm
A-7/R2 30mmMk 108gunsoutboard. cannon in the wing roots (with 250 rounds per gun),
A-7/R3 Provisionfor singledrop-tank. two MGl5l 20mm cannonin the wing panelswith 140
A-7/R6 Increasedgrossweight. roundsper gun; A-s/Rl four MGl5l /20Es with 125
A-8 Increasedinternaltankage. rounds per gun (two beneatheachwing) replacingthe
A-8/Ul Trainer,becameFW l905-8. outboardMGl5ls; A-8/R2 two MKl08 30mmcannon
A-8/Ul1 Fighterbomber. with 55 roundspergun replacingthe outboardMGl5ls;
A-8/Rl Twin MG l5ls in underwine A-8/R3 two MKl03 30mm cannonwith 35 rounds per
packs. gun (beneaththe wings)replacingthe outboardMGl5ls.

20
 SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE I & II
By Philip J. R. Moyes

Fig. I No 19 Squadron's Spitfire Is on parade at Duxford, Cambs., lor the benefit of the Press, 4 May 1939.

21
 *K

Fig. 2 The prototype Spitfire, K5054, in flight in September 1937 after having been converted to production standard and camouflaged.

Fig. 3 In this view the prototype is seen in the form in which it first flew.

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22
 Together with the Hawker Hurricane, the Spitfire is
remernberedabove all else for winning the Battle of
Britain. Both aircraft were truly great fighters, but the
Spitfire, having all the graceand beauty-and in such a
generousmeasure,thanks Iargely to its classicalelliptical
wing-captured the public's imagination to a greater
degreethan any other aeroplanehas or, perhaps, ever
will. It becamea symbol of victory whereverit flew in
World War 2, and happiiy several specimens are still
able to take to the air today to remind us of the type's
glorious achievements.
The Spitfire was the brainchild of Reginald J. Mitchell,
who, from 1925onwards, evolveda seriesof high-speed
Supermarineseapianesof advanceddesignfor the inter-
national SchneiderTrophy Contestsculminating in the
5.68, one of which on 13 September, l93l won the
Schneider Trophy outright for Great Britain at an
averagespeed of 304.08mph (547,29km/h). Soon after-
wards, when a specialsprint enginehad been installed,
this particular 5.68 (S1595) raised the world's speed
record to 407.5mph (655,19km/h) and today it can be
seen,preservedfor posterity, in the ScienceMuseum in
L o n don.
With these successes behind them, Mitchell and his
team turned their attention to fighters, beginning with
the Supermarine Type 224 in an attempt to meet the
Air Ministry specification F.7/30. This was a gull-
winged monoplane day and night fighter with a fixed
"trousered" undercarriageand a Rolls Royce Goshawk
engine; but through no fault of Mitchell and his team
it fell short of the required Derformance.Mitchell was
Fig. 4 Take-off shot of K5054 when fulty painted and fitted with hinged wheel fairings and redesigned rudder with smaller horn balance.
Pilot is Jeffrey Quill.
u,l-"&
dissatisfiedwith it even before it flew (which was in
February 1934)and, with the help of his colleagues,he
began to design a new singie-seatfighter, aiming far
aheadof those hitherto conceivedin Air Ministry speci-
fications. At first this project was a company-funded
private venture, but gradually Air Ministry interestwas
attracted and, by a continuous process of develop-
ment and refinement, there eventuallyemerged,early in
1936, the Supermarine I'ype 300 Spitfire prototype,
whoseconstructionwas fully coveredby an Air Ministry
contract.
Poweredby a 990hp Rolls-RoyceMerlin C engineand
carrying an RAF serial number (K505a) and markings,
but otherwisemostly unpainted, the new fighter made
its first fiight on 5 March, 1936from EastleighAirport,
in the hands of J. "Mutt" Summers,chief test pilot of
Vickers Aviation Ltd. (Vickers had acquired Super-
marine in 1928.) By experimenting with different
designsof wooden fixed-pitch propellers, and also by
some other designrefinements,Summersand two other
test pilots, working as a team, managed to increase
K5054's maximum speed from 336 to 349mph
(541-562km/h) before sendingit, in April 1936, for its
initial RAF trials at Martlesham Heath. On its return
Supermarine made several small alterations which had
been suggestedby the RAF test pilots, including one to
the rudder horn balance,and they also painted the aero-
plane in pale grey-bluehigh glossenamel. ln its revised
form it was flown on 1l May, 1936 by Jeffrey Quill,
one of the team already mentioned. An ex-RAF pilot,
Quill becameSupermarine'sseniortest pilot in 1938and
Fig. 5 P9450, the 601st Spitfire I, on acceptance trials in the spring of 1940, flown by Supermarine test pilot George Pickering,

was to be closely associatedwith the testing of successive
Spitfire variants for most of World War 2. He is on
record as saying that, contrary to oft-expressedreports,
the Spitfire was not a trouble-free design and did suffer
its shareof teethingtroubles, like most new and untried
aeroplanes.
In May 1936, the new fighter was officially given
the name Spitfire-a name which, incidentally, had
tentatively been given by the chairman of Supermarine
to the unsuccessful Type 224-and on 3 June the
Air Ministry placed an order for 310 Spitfires. This
presented Supermarine with a tremendous task, for it

Fig. 6 Spitfire I K9849, from the first production contract, on test before the wdr,

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ii..gs,';;:....,.,;..,.@l,.i;;:,.,';'1i:.';1,1l,p].l.'..l,,.,,.,,';1111......,..,..
Fig.7 Spitfbe Is being refuelled at a Scottish base oJ Fighter Command in March 1940.
had never before received such a large order and,
furthermore, its production facilities on the banks of
the River ltchen, at Southampton, were geared only to
the production of handfuls of flying-boats. In the event,
Supermarine decided to undertake the construction of
Spitfire fuselagesonly, together with the assembly and
testingof the aircraft, and to "farm out" the rest of the
constructionto numeroussub-contractors.
The emergenceof the first production machines was
considerably delayed by late deliveries of some of the
sub-contractedcomponentsand various technicalprob-
lems, and not until4 August, 1938did the Spitfire begin
to enter squadron service,with the delivery of the third
production aircraft to No 19 Squadron at Duxford.
Not least of the production problems were those pre-
sented by the elliptical wings, and eventually Supermarine
found it necessaryto build these itself. As the snags
were overcome, so did the flow of Spitfires from
Supermarine'sfinal assemblylines at EastleighAirport
improve, and by the outbreak of World War 2 over 300
had been built. Orders had already risen to 2,160 Spit-
fires, including 1,000 due to be built at a new shadow
factory at Castle Bromwich, run by the Nuffield
Organisation. By that time, too, nine RAF squadrons
we re f ully ar m ed wi th S p i tfi re s(N o s 1 9 ,4 1,5 4 ,6 5,66,
72,74, 602 and 611) and two others (Nos 603 and 609)
we rein t he pr oc es so f re -a rm i n g .
The early production Spitfires were similar in outline
to the prototype as it originally existed (it was itself
modified up to Mk I standard in September1937)but
there were many detail differences. For instance, the
semi-circular, hinged wheel fairings were removed, the
flush exhausts replaced by triple ejector exhausts and
the tailskid replacedby a castoringtailwheel.A l,03Ohp
Merlin II was installed in the first 174 aircraft and the
two-blade fixed pitch propeller was replaced, from the
78th machine onwards, by a three-blade two-speed
de Havilland model. Early in 1939 a domed cockpit
hood was introduced, and among subsequentmodifica-
tions were improved protection for the pilot and the
introduction of a redesignedaerial mast.
From the l75th Spitfire I onwards the Merlin III
engine was installed. Although of similan power to the
Merlin II, this had a standardised shaft for de
Haviiland or Rotol propellers. Between late June and
early August 1940, all de Havilland propellers on
Spitfire Is were converted to constant speed units and
these significantly improved the aircraft's climb rate
and ceiling-and in turn did much to help smash the
Luftwaffe's massive attacks during the Battle of Britain.
Altogether, 1,583 Spitfire Is were built-mostly by
Supermarine although 50 were built by Westland, which
Iatter company starteddeliveriesin July l94l.
Before the outbreak of World War 2 several foreign
governments planned to buy Spitfires, and export
versionsof the Mk I were designedfor Estonia, Greece,
Portugal, and Turkey. Foreign Office sanction to
export these aircraft was withdrawn when war became
imminent and only three were exported; they all went to
Turkey, one of them having originally been consigned
to Polland and diverted to Turkey after the Polish
collapse.
Fig. 8 Spitfire I fuselages and tail units being "married-up" in Supermarine's ltchen h)orks at Southampton early in 1939. AircraJ't in
background have bulged cockpit hoads filted.

Frg.9 Another close-up shot taken pre-war in one of the erecting First kills achievedby Spitfireswere nothing lessthan
shops at the ltchen works. two friendly Hurricanes which, on the norning of
6 September, 1939 were mistaken for enemy aircraft
and shot down during an unfortunate episode which
is recorded in the annais of the RAF as the "Battle of
Barking Creek'' . Casualties resulting from mis-
identification of friendly aircraft were by no means
uncommon during the war, as was seen, for example,
on the last day of August 1940-in the middle of the
Battle of Britain-when a Spitfire I of No 54 Squadron
was shot down over Hildenborough, Kent, by a Hurri-
cane.
Meanwhile, on 16 October, 1939 three Spitfires of
No 503 Squadron jointly became the first UK-based
aircraft to shoot down an enemy aircraft in World
War 2. Operatingfrom Scotland,they baggeda Junkers
Ju 88 which fell into the sea off Port Seton, but for
some unexplained reason the victory was officially
credited to only the leading Spitfire of the section
involved-the machine flown by Sqn Ldr E. E. Stevens.
Lessthan a fortnight later, on 28 October, Spitfiresof
Nos 602 and 603 Squadrons spotted a lone Heinkel
He 111 over the Firth of Forth and attacked it in turn.
Two of the bomber's crew were killed and the piiot
wounded, leaving only the observerunhurt, but some-
how the pilot managedto force-land his machine in the
heather close to the village of Humbie, near Dalkeith;
this Heinkel, from Kampfgeschwader 26, was the first
enemy aircraft to be brought down on British soil since
World War l. Lessthan a month later, on 20 November,
Spitfires gained a further distinction-the first success

zo
Fig. l0 Fightersup. Two vicsof Spitfire Is of No 19Squadronon patral early in 1939.

-r&

Fig. 11 Fine profile of P9450, also seen in Fig. 5, on test. This Spit trss part of the first production order, which was placed with
Supermarine on 20 April 1939 andfulfilled in 1940.

Fig. 12 Head-on view of a Spitfire I with a three-bladed DH two-speed propeller, showing to good effect the Spit's low frontal area, including
the extremely thin wing. Narli.ow-track undercarriage was one of the Spit's least desirable features as it caused handling problems, especially
during taxying when the pilot's difficulties werefurther increased by the long nose which completely blocked the forward view.

'i.,

27
 R E FLE C TOR R E A RV IE WMIR R OR
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"4
34

Fig. 15 Spitfire IIA LO-J of No 602 Squadron, probably
from England-when three aircraft of No 74 Squadron,
operating from Essex, shot down an He 111 some 15
miles out to seaoff Southend. At first they only claimed
it as a probable as it was last seenentering cloud, but
the discovery next day of two German airmen in a dinghy
confirmed beyond doubt that the raider had been
destroyed.
When the Battle of Britain began there were 19 Spit-
fire squadrons on the strength of RAF Fighter
Command and the part the "Spits" played in that epic
struggle, together with that of the more numerous
"Hurries", is now a matter of history. There were still
only l9 squadronsof Spitfires on strengthat the end of
September 1940 when the enemy's heavy daylight
Fig. 16 A Spitfire I of No 19 Squadron pictured in 1940 when the unit had the wartime code letters QY.
.. , :r, :ir ,r ,, ti&-,*"
:: i
at Drem in Scotland, has its guns re-loaded after a sortie in March 1940.
bomber attacks virtually ceasedand the pattern of com-
bat switched instead to fights at high altitude between
fighter and fighter-bomber formations. The Spitfire,
unlike its fighting partner, was able to hold its own with
the MesserschmittMe 109E in almost every respect.
However, as a result of the enemy's moves to provide
his aircraft with more armour plate and leak-proof,
fire-resistingfuel tanks, it was becoming increasingly
clear that the Spitfire's armament of eight .303in (7,7mm)
Browning machine-guns was not enough; it needed the
greater hitting power of cannon armament, a feature
which the Me 109 already possessed.This had in fact
already been forseen, for a trial installation of two
20mm Hispano cannon had been made in the wings of
J)
p
w
it*%
l
Fig. 17 A Spit I of No 6I I Squadron tests its guns at the stop butts at RAF Digby, Lincs, in January 1940.
an early Spitfire I as early as June 1939.Subsequentiy,a
small batch of twin-Hispano-armedSpitfire Is was put
into production and some of these were tested opera-
tionally during the Battle of Britain by No l9 Squadron.
When the cannon worked the results were spectacular;
sad to relate, however, the Hispanos were so plagued
with stoppagesthat the aircraft had to be withdrawn.
The actual cannon were relatively blameless, the
stoppagesbeing mainly due to feed problems with their
drum-type magazines and the jamming of empty shell
cases during wing flexing in tight turns. In an effort
to improve matters, Supermarine produced a trial
installation on a Spitfire I of wings containing two
cannon and four Browning machine-gunswith a draw
feed to the cannon. Severalof the cannon-armedSpit-
fires that had been used by No 19 Squadron were then
modified to a similar standard and issued, in the late
autumn of 1940, to No 92 Squadron for operational
trials; but the extra weight handicapped their per-
forrnance,and theseSpitstoo were soon withdrawn.
With the adoption of the twin cannon and four
machine-gun armament for the Spitfire I-albeit
temporarily-two of the three basic Spitfire wing
designations became established. The original wing
mounting eight Browning guns becameknown as the A
wing, while the wing with two cannon and four
machine-gunsbecamethe B wing; the two distinct types
of Spitfire I thus becameMk IA and Mk lB respectively.
JO
;_ ' '
r
Naturaliy, Supermarine's factories at Southampton
received the attention of the Luftwaffe, and in a
determinedbombing attack by a Iarge force of He llls
on 26 September, 1940 the Woolston works received
seriousdamage. Spitfire production there was brought
to a standstill, and on the orders of the Ministry of
Aircraft Production, Supermarine embarked on a
dispersal programme. The company's headquarters
were transferred to a stately country mansion in
Hursley Park, near Winchester, and the design and
experimental departments to accommodation in the
spacious grounds surrounding the house. Final
assemblycontinued at Eastleigh until November when
the factory moved to Worthy Down, Hampshire, and
gradually workshops were established in various other
placesin southern England within a 50-mile radius of
Southampton.*
Meanwhile, in June 1940, the large shadow factory at
Castle Bromwich had become a secondsource of Spitfire
production. Its first Spitfires were Mk IIs and some
fought alongside the Mk Is in the later stages of the
Battle of Britain. (Similarly, Mk lI Hurricanes entered
squadron servicelate in the Battle, but the conflict was
neverthelessfought mainly by the Mk I versionsof the
Spitfire and Hurricane.) Almost identical to the Mk I,
*For
further details see the author's monograph Supermarine
Spitfire Remembered (Vintage Aviation Publications, 1976).
the Spitfire II had the l,175hp Merlin XII engineusing
100 octane fuel and fitted with a Coffman cartridge
starter. A Rotol three-blade constant-speed propeller
was standard and, compared to the Mk I with a similar
propeller, the Mk II had a marginally improved climb
rate and ceiling.
Spitfire IIs began to enter squadron service-with
No 6ll Squadron at Digby-in August 1940. The first
750 aircraft had A wing armament while the last 170 in-
corporatedtype B wings as a result of the new systemof
feed and shell case ejection for the Hispano cannon
having been perfected. By I April, 1941,650 Mk IIAs
had been delivered and altogether some 57 squadrons
were eventually equipped with the Mk IIA/B. In
addition to the 920 true production aircraft a few more
Mk IIs were converted from Mk Is, using surplus or
reconditionedMerlin XIIs.
From December 1940 Spitfire IIs were frequently
used in Fighter Command's early offensive sweepsin
daylight over occupiedEurope. Thesewere either made
in small numbers by the fighters themselves,when the
operations were known as "Rhubarbs"; or in con-
siderable strenghth accompanied by a few bombers in
operationsknown as "Circuses". In each case, targets
of opportunity were attacked in the hope of drawing
enemy fighters into the air. The first Rhubarb was
flown by Spitfire IIAs of No 66 Squadron, from Biggin
Hill, on 20 December,1940.The first Circus was flown
by a Blenheim IV squadron escortedby six Spitfire and
three Hurricane squadronson 10 January 1941.
Fig. 18 An instructor st an Operational Training Ilnit demonstrates the Spitfire's retractable undercarriage and flaps to a group of fighter
pilots undergoing their final training in June 1941.
Several Spitfire IIs were fitted, in 1941, with a 40
gallon (182 litre) fixed external fuel tank on the port
wing to allow them sufficient range for Circus operations
against the Brest peninsular. These machines served
with Nos 66, 118 and 152 Squadrons, but the bulky
tanks made their handling characteristics extremely
poor. One pilot of No 66 Squadron describedthem as
"Bloody dangerousaeroplanes,very slow", and in fact
several fatal accidents occurred as a result of pilots
being unable to keepthem on an evenkeel.
To meet a requirement in the air-sea rescue role, a
Servicemodification of the Spitfire II appeared in 1942.
This had a small rack for two smoke bombs under the
port wing, inboard of the oil cooler, and two flare
chutesin the fuselage,just behind the cockpit, housing
a small dinghy and a metal food container. About 50
Spitfires were so converted and they served in several
ASR squadrons (all of which were controlled by Fighter
Command) and operated in conjunction with Lysander
and Walrus ASR aircraft. The designation Spitfire IIC
was adopted for this variant because it was, at the
time, the logical means of distinguishing it from the
existing Mk IIA and IIB models. Later, however,
when role prefixes were introduced, the IIC was re-
designatedASR II to avoid confusion with the Spitfire
VC and subsequent models in which the C suffix
indicated the so-called universal wing capable of
mounting either A or B armament, or four 20mm
cannon.
Not long after re-equipment of the squadrons of
)t
 ffi
Fig. 19 So/e external distinguishing feature of the Spitfire II was the small blister over the Coffman cartridge starter on the starboard side of
the nose immediately behind the propeller, as seen on this IIA of No 65 Squadron.

Fig. 20 Armourers at a fighter station in Southern England remove and clean a Spit II's Browning guns after a sortie.

38
Fighter Command with Spitfire IIs had beencompleted,
re-equipment with Mk Vs began. The last front-line
squadron to fly Mk lls was probably the famous
"Treble One" which, like certain other Spitfire units,
was employed during the winter of l94l/42 on night
fighting-a role for which the Spitfire was not suited
due, amongst other things, to its narrow track under-
carriagewhich always made things difficult for the pilot,
even in daylight. Treble One Squadron relinquishedthe
/ line horizontal) 29ft 11in (91l9mm); height over airscrew
l disc 12ft 3in (3734mm); wing area (gross) 242sq ft
Fig. 21 Ground crews load a clinghy and a food container into the
chutes in the betly of Spitfire IIC P8I3I AQ-C of No 276 Air-Sea
Rescue Squadron early in 1943.
Frg. 22 Two of No 92 Squadron's trial cannon/machine-gun Spitfire IBs (R6908 QJ'F and X4272 QJ-D) take off from Manston, Kent' in
company with an unmodified Mk IA (X4561 QJ-B) in December 1940.
last of its Mk IIs in August 1942, at Kenley, having
flown them alongsideMk Vs sincethe previousMay.
Following their withdrawal from the squadrons,Mk IIs
continued to serve in various units, chiefly at home, and,
at first, mainly OTUs. Late in the war they could be
found in such units as the Central Gunnery School
and Technical Training Command Communication
Flight. Others were used by the Air Fighting Develop-
ment Unit to form instructional teams in air-fighting
techniques-also known as Circusesbut quite different
from the operational ones-which were attached to
various groups of Bomber and Coastal Commands and
also to the SecondTactical Air Force.
SPECIFICATION
Spitfire IA
Powerplant: One l,030hp Rolls-RoyceMerlin II or III
12 cylinder liquid-cooledVee engine.
Dimensions: Span 36ft lOin (11227mm);length (thrust
(22,5sqm).
Weight (normal loaded):6,2001b(28l2kg).
Performance: Max speed 362mph (583km/h); rate of
climb 2,530ft/min (77lmlmin); combat range 395 miles
(636km);ceiling3 1,900ft(9723m).
Armqment: Eight .303in (7,7mm) Browning machine-
guns with 300 rounds per gun.
Spitfire IIA
Powerplant: One l,l75hp Rolls-Royce Merlin XII
12 cylinderliquid-cooledVee engine.
Dimensions: Sameas for Mk lA.
Weig ht (no r ma I I oaded): 6,275lb (28a6kg).
Performance: Max speed 370mph (595,5km/h); rate of
climb 2,600ft/min (7925,Sm/min), combat range 395
miles (636km);ceiling32,800ft(9997m).
Armament: Eight .303in (7,7mm) Browning machine-
guns with 350 rounds per gun.
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39
Fig. 23 This "civilianised" Spitfire II (ex P8727) wts re-engined in 1946 with a I,440hp Merlin 45 for a private owner. Painted black and oeam,
and named "tosephine", it uashed on take-afffrom Kastrup, Copenhagen in April 1947. [E. J. Riding.]

Fig.24 Cockpit of the Spitfire L

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A
Fig. 1 The tenth production P-518-1-NA pictured in March 1943 after being re-engineercd into the prototype P-51D.
NORTH AMERICAN P.5lD MUSTANG
Bv Harrv Holmes
The last months of 1943 were crucial for the US sth
Air Force's strategic bombing of Germany as lossesof
both B-17 and B-24s were reaching an unacceptable
level. These losses, mainly due to the effectivenessof
the Luftwaffe fighter attacks, produced an urgent need
for a long-range fighter escort to protect the bombers on
missions far into Europe from their basesin England.
Escort duties were nothing new to the P-38 andP-47
equipped fighter groups of the 8th Air Force, but raids
on targets deep inside Germany were now being made
and the bombers were having to go it alone during the
actual attack because of the limited range of the US
fighters. In July 1943 long-range tanks had been fitted
to the P-47 Thunderbolt, boosting the aircraft's radius
of action to nearly 350 miles, but even this only afforded
the bombers protection to the areas around the German
border; and the P-38 Lightning, with a slightly longer
range, was suffering technical troubles including frequent
engine failures at high altitude.
In October 1943 the answer came with the arrival in
England of the first production North American P-5lB
Mustangs. The P-51B model was the Merlin-powered
version of the Mustang which had first flown three years
previously powered by an Allison engine and, thus
equipped, had served with both the USAAF and the
RAF on tactical and army co-operation duties. The
marrying of the basic Mustang airframe to the famous
Rolls-Royce Merlin engine exceeded all expectations
aird turned the P-51 from just a good aircraft into what
was arguably the greatest piston-engined fighter of
World War 2.
Operations with the P-5lB commenced in December
1943 when the 354th Fighter Group, a 9th Air Force
unit, which, at that time was under the operational con-
trol of the VIII Fighter Command, carried out an
uneventful fighter sweep ouer the French and Belgian
coasts. This mission was led by Major Don Blakeslee
of RAF Eagle Squadron fame "borrowed" for the
occasion from his own unit, the 4th Fighter Group
basedat Debden.
The arrival of the P-5lBs in England proved timely
as the 8th Air Force's bomber offensive got into full
swing and the new fighter was proving to be an excellent
aircraft. Most of the leading fighter aces built up their
scores on this model, with famous names like Gentile,
Godfrey, Beeson, Goodson and Hofer all racing into
double figures during the spring of l9M. One of the
well-known drawbacks of the P-5lB was the poor visi-
bility afforded the pilot due to the flush "razorback"
cockpit arrangement of the aircraft, and rearward vision
was exceptionally bad. The increasing number of combat
missions flown by Mustangs made this problem more
acute and North American's technical representativesin
England studied the matter at some length before
4l

Fig.2 ColonelDonaldJ. M. Blakeslee, commanderof thefamous
4th FighterGroupat Debden,Essex,wasone of thefinestfighter
tacticiansof World War2.
designing a clear-view bulged canopy similar to the
sliding hood fitted to the Spitfire IX. Manufacture was
commenced by the British engineering company of
R. Malcolm Limited, and, known as the Malcolm hood,
the canopy was fitted to most of the Mustangs serving
in the UK with both the British and American forces
including the P-5lCs which were entering serviceabout
that time.
Back in the United States the visibilitv oroblem had
Fig. 3 A newP-51D-10-NAon a production testflight from Inglewood, California, in August 1944,
't
:
A1
also been the subject of North Americbn Aviation
design team studies and a number of canopy types were
looked at before it was decidedthat a "teardrop" shaped
hood then being fitted to Britain's Hawker Typhoon
would be the ideal solution. The tenth production
P-5lB-l-NA was taken from the assemblyline at Ingle-
wood and removed to the experimental department for
the modification, which involved reducing in depth all
the fuselage formers aft of the cockpit to enable the
new canopy to be fitted. Wind tunnel tests with a one-
third scalewooden model were carried out while the air-
craft was being modified and flight tests on the com-
pleted aircraft brought to light only a few problems; as
expected, the clear all-round view through the new
canopy was excellent.
The successof these trials, which took place in
February 1943, resulted in the allocation of a further
two uncompleted P-5 lBs to be used as manufacturing
prototypes for the new model which was now known
as the P-5lD with the factory number NA-106. The
P-51D would have two more .5in (12.7mm) wing guns
than the P-518/C models, increasingthe armament to
six machine-guns with an additional 620 rounds of
ammunition for a total of 1,880. A strengthened wing
allowed two bomb racks each capable of carrying a
1,0001b(a5akg) bomb to be fitted and the power plant
would be the new Packard-Merlin V-1650-7.known to
the British as the Merlin 68.
The first order for the P-51D was placed on 13 April,
1943 authorising production of 2,500 aircraft. Later
that month, on the 23rd, an order for 100 sets of
Mustang components was received from the Australian
government; these were subsequently assembled by
Commonwealth Aircraft Corporation under a licence
agreement with North American. The first four
Australian-built Mustanss were P-5lBs while the re-
 4i d&
31.i
:.,; -l
t,
,
Fig. 4 A coolant ledk forced this 4th FG P-SID to crash-land in Germany on 12 September 1944-on
maining 96 were P-51Ds and known by the Australians
as CA-17 Mustang Mk XXs.
At the North American plants in Inglewood, California
and Dallas, Texas, production of the P-5lD was soon
well under way and the last B and C models entered
squadron service during the spring of 1944. The in-
tensive fighting in the air over Europe made this theatre
of operations the obvious choice for the introduction
of the new model and May 1944 saw the first arrivals
of the P-5lD in England. It was with great excitement
that pilots gathered around the P-5lDs when they
reached the various bases throughout East Anglia.
However, some of the excitementdied when numerous
Fig. 5 is seenjust after roll-out from the North Americanplant in Dallas, Texas,in the summerof 1944.
This p-51K-5-NT,44-11818,
-.
only its second mission.
check flights showed that the new aircraft did not per-
form quite as well as their current Mustangs, being
slightly slower in the climb and in level flight.
Directional control was poorer due to the lack of keel
area on the cut-down rear fuselageand the addition of a
dorsal fin fillet was found necessary. It was August
1944 before modification kits of the fin fillet became
available and by that time 650 P-5lD-5-NAs had
already been delivered requiring the modification to be
carried out in the field. Later aircraft would have the
fillet added during manufacture and all P-51Ds built
after 44-13902were fitted with it on the production line.
Early operationswith the P-5lD showedthe need for
43
 &.
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Fig. 6 Major Henry Billie's P-5lD "Prune Face" of the 355th FG, Steeple Morden, Herts, being prepared for a mission,

Fig. 7 "Rough and Ready" of the 355th FG displays a single victory symbol on the canopy frame.

.&
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's &
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Fig. 8 The 108 US gallon (409 litre)

"paper" drop tank manufactured in
Englandfor the 9th Air Force.

44
Fig.9 Lt Col Andrew J. Evans' mount "Little Sweetie 4" at Leiston, Suffolk,
reminiscent of pre-war US markings,
other modifications to be carried out, mainly electrical
and radio changes.The installation of an MN-26C radio
compass was undertaken at the same time as the fin
fillet work. The strengthened wing had prompted the
testing of various types of weaponry mainly due to the
increasing amount of ground attack missions as well as
"targets of opportunity" attacks on the way back from
escortduties and an assortmentof bombs, rockets, etc,
were all tested. Perhaps the most significant of these
weapons was the Bazooka type rocket tube, three of
which were fitted under each wing, and zero-length
rocket rails later became a standard fit on some later
P-51s. A new-shapecanopy also began to appear from
the start of the P-5lD-25 blocks and was easily identi-
Ftg. 10 Soldiersof the USArmy's 102nd
Division discoveredthk P-51D, previously
owned by the 352nd FG, when they cap-
tured the German town of Erding in
March 1945.
in Apil 1945. The fuselage star caftied a red centrc spot
fied by the noticeable bulged top behind the front frame
of the sliding hood.
The large contracts placed with North American for
the P-5lD had the factories working all out and the
production rate was such that Hamilton Standard, who
at that time were manufacturing propellers for practically
every US military aircraft, could not meet their quota
for delivery of propellers for the P-51D. This crisis
forced North American to look to other sourcesfor the
supply of propellers,amd so the P-51K was born. The
P-51K was basically a D model which used an Aero-
products propeller fitted with a new blade pitch
changing mechanism and had hollow steel blades instead
of the Hamilton Standard'ssolid aluminium type.
45
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Fig. 11 Although the war had ended, this P-5(D, 44-14315 of the 364th FG, seen after a crashJanding at Honington, Suffotk, on 18 June 1945,
resembles many wartime casualties which resulted from enemy action.

The manufacture of the P-5lK was allocated to the
Dallas plant and after a faultless production record
with earlier Mustangs things began to go wrong when
the first of the K models were flight tested. Blade im-
balance in the new propeller causedheavy vibrations in
the aircraft and many of the production machines had
to be rejected, the failure rate being as high as 19 per
cent in September1944.Eventually the vibration prob-
lems were brought to acceptablelevels and by the time
production ended 1,337P-5lKs had beenbuilt including
597 which went to the RAF as Mustang IVAs.
With the arrival of the new P-51Ds into squadron
servicea number of the older B models were released
for other duties including photographic reconnaissance
with the designation F-6, although usually the title of
P-51 persisted.It was decidedin '"hemiddle of 1944that
PR versionscould be built on the production line and
the Dallas factory undertook the work, manufacturing
F-6D and F-6K models which could be fitted with any of
nine different types of camera in the K17, K22 or K24
series.
ln 1944ten two-seat conversionsof the Mustang were
built as TP-5lDs, this work also being undertaken by
the Dallas plant. These aircraft had full dual control

Fig. 12 One RAF operator of the Mustang IVA was 112 Squadron, whose famous shark's mouth insignia continued into the jet age, This particular
aircraft, KH745, was once the personal mount of Cp Capt B. A. Eaton with the codes BA-E.

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46
 *--
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Fig. i3 Invasion-striped P-1ID-1-NA of the 36lst FG reveals its under-surface detail as it is caught by the camera during a vertical
bank.
and the second pilot was located under the original
canopy. Fifteen aircraft were converted by Temco on
the same principle after the war but used a slightly
enlargedhood.
Of the many seriesof tests devisedfor the Mustang
during its career one of the most interestingmust be
the deck landing trials on board the aircraft carrier
USS Shangri-La (CV-38) during 1944. These trials had
been requestedas early as May 1943 and a P-5lD was
later allocated for the task with the aircraft leaving the
Inglewood production Iine in February 1944. The
installation of the arrester hook took longer than ex-
pected due to the extensivestrengtheningrequired in the
rear fuselage, and by the time the trials were able to
commence strategy in the Pacific campaign had changed,
the US Navy's Hellcats and Corsairs coping admirably
with the Japanese.The operationsof the Mustang from
the carrier proved to be a complete success and
showed the aircraft's versatility once again. Despite
reports to the contrary there was only one aircraft in-
volved and this was confirmed by the pilot in charge,
Lt Cdr (later Admiral) R. M. Elder, as a P-51D-S-NA,
44-14017,which was later handed over to the National
Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA).
As the war in Europe drew to a close the Mustang
equipped every fighter group in the Sth Air Force with
47
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48
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Fig. 14 AflightofUS-builtP-5lKMustangsofS4Squadron,RoyalAustralianAirForce,in1945.

Fig. 15 One of the last batch of P-SIDs to be built at Inglewood, 44-74663 never sare action in llorld War 2, but looked rcady to go whm
photographed in the Californian evening sunshine late in 1945.

54
ffir

Fig. 16 The Royal New Zealand Air Force received a batch of 30 P-51D-2S-NTs at the end of the war, but these were placed in storage until the
eatly 1950s when they were put back into service. N22423, alias 45-l l5 13, wasfinally withdrawn from RNZAF service in June 1957.

the exception of the 56th which steadfastly stuck to
its P-47 Thunderbolts throughout its tour of duty in
England. However, it is little known that the P-51 had
indeed been selectedfor the 56th by its commander,
Col Hubert Zemke, but this decision was reversed and
in an interview with the author a number of years ago,
Colonel Zemke told how it came about:
"In early 1943it was known that the P-51 would be
coming to the Sth Fighter Command. Knowing the
superior range and air-to-air fighting potential of this
aircraft to the P-47, I put in a bid for this aircraft for
early re-equipmentof the 55th Fighter Group. Though
we were ahead of the 4th Fighter Group in the number
of victories, the powers that be in Fighter Command
stated that the 4th FG would be the first outfit in the
8th Air Force to get the Mustang while the 56th would
be the fourth. I was satisfiedwith the situation at that
time as there was plenty of fighting for all types of
fighters in the late summer and fall of 1943. The fact
remainsthat I felt, and still do, that the P-51 was better
for aerial combat.
"Soon after. I was sent on a six-week bond tour
of the United Statesand during my absenceCol Robert
Landry was assignedas Group Commander of the 56th.
While I was away Col Landry, Col Robert Burns of
Sth Fighter Command Headquarters and the 56th's
Executive Officer Lt Col Dave Schilling reversed my
decisionon the P-51 and stated that theP-4'7 would be
retained indefinitely by the 56th. Their contention for
reversing my decision was that theP-47 was to receive a

Fig. 17 After ll/l/2, military aircraft in the United States were allocated "buzz numbers" to aid identification, These numbers consisted of a
large twoJetter code and the last three digits of the aircraft's serial. The Mustang was coded PF and the application can be seen in the photograph.

55
'paddle blade' propeller and 400 more horsepower with
the addition of water injection.
"Having flown the P-51 while in the United States
and found it an excellent airplane, I was livid with rage
upon my return to England to find that I had been sold
down the river. It did not help when I learned that the
decision had been approved by General Kepner at 8th
Fighter Command Headquarters.
"As the spring of 1944 went by the Cermans were
concentrating their fighter forces deeper in Germany
and our P-47s,through iack of range, could only escort
the bombers into France or only just inside Germany
and we also took the 'milk runs' whereas the P-5 I
groups could fly deep into Cermany where the 'hunting'
was much better.
"When the Commander of the 479th Fighter Group
was posted missing I was asked to give up Dave
Schilling to take over as the new commander, but Dave
refused to go as the 479th had a poor record at that
time. As that outfit was due to chanse its P-38s for
56
P-5ls in August 1944 I called General Kepner and said
that i would be delighted to take over the 479th as it
would be a challenge and it would also give me a
chance to fly the P-51 again and perhaps prove that
it was a superior airplane. "
Colonel Zemke did take over the 4'79th and with the
arrival of such a distinguished airman as the new com-
mander and re-equipping with the Mustang soon after,
the group's morale began to soar. By the time the war
ended the 47gth had a respectabletotal of victories. Un-
fortunately, Hub Zemke could not take all of the credit
for this turnaround in fortunes becausein October 1944
his P-51D broke up in severeturbulance during a com-
bat mission over Germany and Zemke spent the dura-
tion in a prisoner of war camp. However, perhaps the
introduction of the P-51 into lhe 479th had something
to do with it.
During the last year of the war Mustangs roamed
the skies over Europe with the now standard 108 US
gallon (409 litre) compressedpaper drop tank giving the
F'ig. 18 The Swiss Air Force's P-51D,
J-2012, seen here, once served with the
370th FG, 9th Air Force, during World
War 2.
Fig. 19 The nearestof these California
Air National Guard P-51Ds of the 195th
FG is seen to be carrying small practice
bombs.
aircraft an 850 mile radius of action. Various new
innovations were tried during this period with intro-
duction of the APS-13 tail warning radar being probably
the most interesting, aithough this did not see service
in great numbers. German jet and rocket fighters were
met on numerous occasionsby P-5ls of both the USAAF
and RAF and proved that, if conditions were right,
the piston-enginedfighter could hold its own against the
Me 262sand Me l63s of the Luftwaffe.
As World War 2 ended P-5ls were not only active
in Europe, but in the Mediterranean and the Far East,
where in the war against Japan the aircraft's extensive
range again allowed bombers on long missions to be
escorted all the way to the target; this time they were
B-29 Superfortressesbombing the Japanesemainland
from their island basesin the Pacific.
ln the final analysis of enemy aircraft destroyed it
was proved that the P-51 could claim 13 victories for
every hundred sorties flown while the P-38 and P-47
trailed way behind with four and three victories per
100 sorties respectively.
With the war's end, contracts for warplanes were
reduced drasticaliy or cancelled completely, and orders
for the Mustang were no exception: 1,000 P-51Ds were
cancelledand of the 2,000 new P-5 lH model on the
Ingiewood production line only 555 were completed.
Orders for 1,700 P-5lLs which was a re-designedH
model, and 1,628P-51Ms were cancelledbefore produc-
tion reaiiy got under way, although one P-5lM, 45-11743,
a re-enginedP-5lD (the last P-5lD on the Dallas line)
was completed.
The Mustang production lines, which were turning out
more than 500 aircraft each month by January 1945, were
quickly run down and the last of the type, a P-51H, was
rolled out at Inglewood on 9 Novemb er, 1945.The piant
at Inglewood had built 6,502 P-51D2 while Dallas had
p ro d uc ed 1, 454 P - 5 1 D s , 1 ,3 3 7 P-5 1 K s p l u s 1 3 6 F-6D s
and 163 F-6Ks, the completewartime production of the
Fig. 20 This New Jersey Air National Guard P-51D was later sold on the civilian market and became NI9Y.
Mustang totalling I 5,582aircraft.
The arrival of peace saw some of the USAAF's
front-line fighter squadronsrelinquishingtheir P-5lDs
for the new H model although the jet-propeiled
Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star was also beginning to
enter service.
In May 1946 a US government act was approved to
establish a reserve air unit to become part of the
National Cuard. The personnel would be civilians doing
their normal job during working hours, but devoting
their evenings and weekends to manning America's
second-line air force. From the Air National Guard's
establishmentuntil December 1948, 28 fighter squadrons
of the ANG received more than 700 surplus P-5lDs.
Theseaircraft remainedthe backboneof the guard until
they were gradually replaced or suppiemented by
P-51Hs in the early 1950s and by 1952 68 of the
98 ANG squadronswere operatingMustangs.
In July 1947 rhe Army and Air Force in the United
States had become separate Services, changing the
USAAF into the USAF. The following year the Air Force
introduced a new designation system for the aircraft
with P for Pursuit changing to F for Fighter, so the
Mustang become the F-5 l. This also affected the
photographic reconnaissanceversions, the F-6D and
F-6K becomingthe RF-51D and RF-51K.
In June 1950 the North Korean Army crossed the
3Sth Parallel, thus invading South Korea, and in
support of United Nations resolutionsthe United States,
Britain, Australia and other member countries were
pledgedto assistthe south and so the Mustang went to
war once more. Air National Guard units were alerted
and nearly 150Mustangswere drawn from units all over
the United States and flown to Alameda Naval Air
Station in California for shipment to the war zone.
At Alameda they were given a protective coating
against the corrosive seawater and then loaded on to the
carrier USS Boxer for transportation to Japan before
5i
 p ff'
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Fig. 21 To war once more. This F-51D of the South Korean Air Force (ROIAD, photographed at Kimpo in 1951, was ex 44-63581, an old
9th Air Force machine.

Fig.22 Three Mustang Mk 4s from the Royal Canadian Air Force's Central Flying School, Trenton, in April 1952. The two aircraft nearest the
camera have been equipped with tow-target racks.

58
Fig.23 An Australian-built Mustang
XXI, 468-104, phdtogruphedat Mascot,
New South lTales. on 10November 196L
Fig.24 TheRenoAir Racesalwaysseea
large turn-out of Mustangs, and here we
see a P-51D-20-NA being prepared for
one of the heats during September 1969.
This machine. ex 44-63872and RCAF
9552, was destroyedin an accident the
following year.
detachment to Korea itself. All of the aircraft selected
for duty were F-5lDs as they were to be used mainly for
ground-attack operations for which they were better
suited than the lighter F-51H. The Mustangs were
almost all late models with underwing attachment
points for bombs or rockets.
As in World War 2 the Mustang acquitted itself
admirably in Korea, flying in front-line service
throughout the conflict, and in addition to the USAF,
P-5ls were operated by Australia and South Africa as
well as the South Koreans themselves. When the
Armistice was signed in July 1953 only one USAF
Mustang unit was operational, the other F-51 squadrons
being replacedby jets at various intervals.
Back in the USA Mustangs continued to serve in the
Air National Guard until March 1957 when the last
F-5lD in the ANG was handed over to the USAF Museum
at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, for permanent exhibi-
tion.
However, that was by no means the end of the
Mustang story as many other countries continued to
operate the aircraft including Italy, Nationalist China,
Sweden,New Zealand, Israel, Canada, France, Switzer-
Iand, the Philippines, Cuba, Somalia, Uruguay,
Holland, Guatemala and Nicaragua. At the time of
writing the machine still serves in small numbers with
the air forces of Bolivia, Dominica, Haiti, the Honduras,
Indonesia and Salvador.
Many surplus Mustangs were bought by Trans-Florida
Aviation, which later became known as the Cavalier
Aircraft Corporation, specialising in the conversion of
the aircraft to two-seaters for the civilian market and
also rebuilding and improving airframes for the military.
Later developments by the company included the
Mustang II which had an uprated Merlin, strengthened
wings and tip tanks, combining range with extra load
carrying capacity. The Cavalier Mustang III had its
Merlin replaced by a Rolls-Royce Dart turboprop
engine to improve performance and econogny.
In the United States Mustangs can still be seen in
large numbers, with the Reno Air Races and numerous
fly-ins being the favourite venues for owners. The US
Army has also been using Mustangs in recent years as
chase planes for the trials of a number of high-speed
helicopters such as the Lockheed Cheyenne and the
Sikorsky Blackhawk.
The enthusiasm for the Mustang is still high and
any appearing on the civil second-hand market are
quickly purchased, even at inflated prices. The aircraft,
which seemsto be referred to as the P-51 once more.
is actually increasing in numbers on the US civil
register due to once grounded machines being made air-
worthy after many hours of rebuilding and ex-foreign
air force P-5ls being imported.
Today, 36 years after its birth, the Mustang is a living
legend and it is hoped that many examples will be
flying well into the next century, still proving to be the
finest piston-enginedfighter ever built.
59
 SPECIFICATION

Powerplant: One l,490hp Packard Merlin V-1650-7

Fig. 25 P-5ID close-up showing the Hamilton Standard 4-blade
hydromatic propeller of 1lft 2in (3403.6mm) diameter.
Fig.26 P-5ID undercarriage, air scoop and external stores rack-
driving a Hamilton Standard 4-blade l ift 2in (3404mm)
diameter constant speed propeller (D model) or an
Aeroproducts4-blade l l ft (3353mm)diameterconstant
speed propeller (K model). Internal fuel capacity was
85 US gal (322 litres) in fuselage tank and two
92 US gal (348 litres) tanks in the wings totalling
269U S gal (1018l i tres).
Dimensions: Wing span 37ft }5ztr,in(11285mm); wing
area 233.19sq ft (21.664sq m); length 32fr 3t/qin
(10446mm);height, overall 13ft 8in (4l66mm).
Weights: Basic empty 7,l25Ib (3232 ke); max take-off
ll,600lb (s262k9.
Performance: Maximum speed 437mph (703km/h) at
25,000ft (7620m); landing speed l0Omph (l6lkm/h);
time to altitude l3.l minutes to 30,000ft (9144m);
service ceiling 41,900ft (12.771m); range (clean)
950 miles (l529km) cruising 362mph (582km/h) at
25,000ft (7620m); range (2 x 110 US gal (416 litres)
external tanks) 2,300 miles (370lkm) cruising 245mph
Q9akm/h) at 10,000ft (3048m); range (2 x 108 US
gal (409 litres) external tanks) 2,258 miles (3633km)
cruising 245mph (394km/ h) at I 0, 000ft (3048m).
Armsment: Six .5 inch Browning machine-guns with
amunition totalling 1,880 rounds. 400 rounds in each of
the inboard guns with the centre and outboard each
having 270 rounds. Two 1,0001b@5akil bombs could
be carried when the aircraft had no external tankage.
With bomb racks fitted the aircraft could also carry six
5-inch High Velocity Aircraft Rockets (HVAR) or
ten HVAR when without racks.
Acknowledgemenls: The author wishes to expresshis appreciation to
the following sources for the use of photographs contained in this
publication: US Air Force, US Navy, North American Aviation Inc,
Public Archives of Canada, Royal Swedish Air Force, RAAF, Danny
Morris, Bob O'Dell, Brian Goulding, John Hopton, Michael O'Leary
and Lt Gen Andrew J. Evans USAF.

60
 :' :jtt,iiaf:))r,.,
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Fig. 1 A "schwarme" of Me I09E-3s of 7 Staffet, Jagdgeschwacler 51. [via Bruce Robertson.]

MESSERSCHMITT1O9E
By PeterG. Cooksley

Fig.2 Me I09E-4 Trop Btack 3 of I/JG27 in an unusual striped camouflage scheme at its base in North Africa' [via Bruce Robertson.]

61
 ,

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-"

Fie.3 An esrly production Me 109E-3 with the radio call sign codes CE+ BM on test before delivery to the Luftwaffe,
fvia Bruce Robertson.]

Fig. 4 First development aircraft for the E-series was the Me 109 V14, which began flight trials in the summer of 1938 and was eventually
registered D-IRTT,

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62
It had been a frustrating day for the German pilots of
Airfleet 2 had the long-awaited "Eagle Day", which
heralded the concentrated seriesof attacks on targets in
Great Britain. The day-13 August, 1940-had dawned
with some early morning mist and slight drizzle, but
this had clearedand although there was some cloud over
the English Channel the day was set for mainly fair
weather. The bombers had been away fairly early and
"H-hour" had been put forward too late to recall them,
so they proceededwithout escort.
A great feeling of relief was therefore the overall
emotion on all the fighter baseswhen, half way through
the afternoon, the final order to begin operations was
received. From Dinan, thirty Messerschmitt 109s of
IIIJG53 were swiftly heading towards the coast headed
by Major Giinter Freiherr von Maltzahan. One of the
following fighters was piloted by Leutnant Heinz
Pfannschmidt in an E-l model. Scrambled to meet the
raid and already airborne were the Spitfires of No 609
Squadron from Warmwell, one of which was flown by
Pilot Officer D. M. Crook. Over Poole Harbour the two
meL momentarily the Messerschmitt flashed into the
Spitfire's reflector sight, Crook's fingers slackened the
safety catch on the control column and pressed the
firing button and the other fighter quite suddenly heeled
over and plummeted to earth at Lyme Bay taking
,,Richthofen" partly stripped down after receivingbattk damagein 1940' lvia BruceRobertson.l
Fig. 5 Me l09E-3 oJ'Major Scheltmannof JG2
Pfannschmidt to his death. The time was j'ust about
ten past three and the first Messerschinittto be sacrificed
on Eagle Day had fallen.
Details of the only German single seat fighter to par-
ticipate in the Battle of Britain were, however, already
known to Great Britain. Two "Emils" had fallen into
French hands late in 1939 and, being intact, had been
the subject of tests at the Orl6ans-Bricy Test Centre.
Here. one of them had crashed but Me 109E-3 Werke
Nummer 1304, formerly of II/JG54, had been passed,
in May, 1940, to the RAE at Farnborough where it was
examined by three British pilots. It was discovered that
the design suffered from aileron snatching as the auto-
matic slots opened, which made the responseheavy at
slow speeds while some sustained physical effort was
called for in their use at high speed;but the rate of climb
was good and there was a gentle stall and a reluctanceof
the engine to cut out, both qualities being retained even
under "G". Many pilots found the cockpit claustro-
phobic, partly due to the sideways-openinghood but
mainly due to its cramped dimensions-a thing which
inconvenienced pilots of both sides if they were tall
and seatedon a parachute Pack.
The earlier Messerschmitt Me 109D had proved itself
in the Spanish Civil War and the lessonslearnt there had
been incorporated in the Me 109E', some early models
63
 t\ *

Fig. 6 An early production E-3, llterke Nummer 1304, White 1 of II/JGS4 ,,Grunherz", seen after falling intact into French hands on
22 November 1939 when its pilot mistakenly landed near Woerth, Bas-Rhin, some 12 miles an the French side of the border.

Fig' 7 After testing by the French at Orlhans-Bricy, l{/Nr 1304 came to Britain in May 1940 and, wearing British insignia, was evaluated by the
A&AEE at Boscomhe Down and the RAE at Farnborough. Fig. 8 In June 1940 l|//Nr 1304 was alloited the RAF serial AE47g. It also-flew
with the Air Fighting Development Unit before being shipped, in April 1942, to the USA (with the tail unit of another Emil
fitted fottowing a qash-
landing) for evaluation at Wfight Field,

r.o'ft
,,'J,ii'k

64
 ffi
f
Fig. 9 plan view oJ AE479, alias VIt/Nr 1304. This Emil was the fint enemy aircraft to be evaluated in this country in ww2 and
with valuable information about its chief adversary.
of which also flew in that conflict, this in turn having
been evolved from the Me l09Vl4, the true prototype
of the Emil, which had first flown during the summer of
1938. The original model of the new fighter was desig-
nated the Me l09E-0 and this, the pre-production
variant, was armed with only four MG l7s: a pair above
the cowling synchronised to fire through the airscrew
arc and one each in the outer wing panels.
It was on this model that some weaknesswas found
in the undercarriage and there were some taxying
accidents;but on the credit side it must be recorded that
all pilots were agreed on the unusual steadynesswhile
moving over rough or indifferent ground, despite the
long legs and narrow track, a stability which tended to
be weighted against the view from the cockpit while on
the ground which fresh pilots describedas "appalling".
All the .early models were powered by the Daimler-
Benz DB.601A, an engine fitted with a fuei injection
pump instead of a carburettor so that there was no need
to throw the machine on its back at the start of a dive as
ffi \
provided the RAF
was the custom among contemporary British fighters, to
obviate petrol starvation from the resultant "G" effect.
With the tendency to develop flutter under certain
conditions and of which there had been dark rumours
seized on by propagandists who coined the term
"flutterschmitt" duly laid, production went ahead on
the E-l version which began to reach Luftwaffe fighter
units during the spring of 1939. The first production
models had the same armament as the evaluation E-0
type but the later machines were fitted with a 20mm
MG FF in each wing instead of the twin MG l7s which
were retained only above the fuselage.
Machines of this type also went to Spain, although
too late to see operational service; but it was essential
that the victories of General Franco's forces be followed
up as swiftly as possible, so the bargain was struck that
re-equipment of the Condor legion which had been
allowed to run down should be carried out at entirely
the Nationalist's cost, payment being made in kind by
the supply of iron ore.
65
 .,1@lrr,iiillr,i
q
ilo::ilt
:- l
Fig. l0 Looking rather sorry for itself is this brand new E-4 which suffered a mishap during testing. lvia Bruce Robertson. l
Spanish machines thereafter appeared with lead grey
upper surfaces with light blue underparts which had
distinguished the earlier 109-Ds which had similarly
been marked with black discs with white crossesabove
and below the wings, while the colours were reversedon
the rudder which was entirely white with a black cross
saltire. Fuselage markings consisted of a wide black
flash running aft from the forward exhaust, while a
black disc served as a national insignia on the rear
fuselage; this disc was prefixed by a type numeral and
an individual number followed. For identification pur-
posessome wing tips were doped white above and below,
while spinners could be either the same shade as the
fuselageor be finished black.
Spain was not the only country to fly the 109-E out-
side its country of origin since a number went also to
equip Switzerland's Air Force. These were flown in a
mid-green camouflage above and light blue below with
the national marking of a white cross on a wide red
band round the wing tips and the upper parts of the
fuselage; inboard of this on the wings and aft on the
fuselage appeared a series of alternate red and white
bands with a white serial number, eg J-319, on the rear
Fig. 11 Luftwaffe ground crew re-arm a Me t09E-3,
Robe r t s o n I.
j" . r '
" the hub gun, dropped from the earlier type after a time,
66
rr.t* -
fuselage.The entire rudder was red on these Els with a
small white cross on the upper portion, while noses of
thesefighters were finished entirely white as an additional
indication of neutrality in the early months of the
European war. After some ten years' service some of
these Messerschmitts were not struck off charge until
1949.
Dr,leto pressure on space brought about by the pro-
duction in the Augsburg factory of the Me I10, work was
moved to Regensburgand at the same time considerable
sub-contracting was begun. It was from the new factory
that there emerged the fighter-bomber version, the
Me 109E-l/B fitted with differing racks for the delivery
of either four 50kg bombs or a single250kg bomb, there
being a total of 850 E-ls on the Luftwaffe's first-line
strength at the beginning of the Nazi attack on Poland.
The following Septemberwhen the direction of hostilities
had changed it was the concept of this, the fighter-
bomber version, which was to bring about the unpopular
decision that one Staffel in each Jagdgeschwadershould
fly the model with bomb racks.
Before the end of 1939there began to enter servicethe
improved model designated the l09E-3, this being the
type which saw some servicein the Battle of France and
[via Bruce was encountered in large numbers over the British Isles
during the attacks in the following srimmer, a few
months before which production was achieved at a rate
of 150 per month. This type not only incorporated a
change of engine to the DB.60lAa but also saw the
introduction, on the earlier examples,of an MG FF gun
to fire through the hub of the VDM electrically operated
controllable-pitch airscrew. In later E-3s this 20mm
weapon was deleted and the aperture utilised for a cool-
ing inlet for the generator. It is interesting to note that
one machine of this type was subscribed for and pre-
sented by Saar miners to Captain Molders, group
Commander of JG51, the machine being marked with
the insignia of these workers-two crossed hammers-
on the cowling. There is some doubt if he in fact ever
flew the aifcraft in combat.
Meanwhile, an improved variant was entering the
production stage which had a reduced weight and a
major change in armament; this was the E-4 on which
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 STANDARD 71 (DARKGREEN}/o2
(GREY}
CAMOUFLAGE ON TOPSURFACESWITH
65 (LIGHTBLUE)UNDERNEATH
& ON
FUSELAGE SIDES.

MESSERSCHMITT 1@E-4.
BROUGHTDOWN NEAR
MARDEN,KENT ON
SEPTEMBER5, 1940,
o WHILE BEINGFLOWN BY
Oblt. FRANZvon WERRA,
ADJUTANT, 11/JG3 "UDET".
. .- .Y,2,
VONWERRA LATER ESCAPED
IN CANADA A EVENTUALLY
t-
RETURNED TO GERMANY.
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NOTE REPLACEMENT PANELIN FRONTOF
AIRSCREW 70 (BLACKGREENI , IS H E DIN 71 (D A R KGR E E N )
W IN D S C R E E NFIN
SPINNER70 (BLACKGREENI ON 65 (LIGHTBLUE)
MOTTLE
AND WHITESEGMENTS WITH
02 (GREY)BACKPLATE.

RESEARCH:
A. GRANGER.@tezs
SCALE1/72 ARTWORK:ROY MILLS.

69
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70
) LATETYPECANOPY
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THROUGHOUT woRLD WARE : AS REFERENCE To
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W I L LC O NF IRM,
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71
 6) 7 STAFFEL/III
GRUPPE/JGsI
ON HOMEDEFENCE
DUTYDURINGPOLISHCAMPAIGN 1S
70 (BLACKGREEN)/7l
(DARKGREEN}
UNIT MARKINGS SPLINTER CAMOUFLAGEWITH
65 (LIGHTBLUEIUNDERSURFACES.
FORDETAILSOF
CAMOUFLAGEPATTERNS(D
ON UPPERSURFACES
SEEPLATE4
scALE 1/72
/;\% "

\t/
REVISEDCAMOUFLAGE SCHEME
INTRODUCED
DURINGWINTER19ff)//m.
71 (DARKGREEN)/o2(GREY) WITH65 (LIGHT
CAMOUFLAGE
BLUE)UNDERSURFACES
I

NEARBERWICK,SUSSE\,
AUGUST12,19/0'
REDDEVILUNITBADGE
ON PORTSIDEONLY.

7o/02/ffiCOLOUR
SCHEME@
rc

oa
1@E4 (w Nr 5587)oF 6/JG51(MOLDERS)
sHor DowN EAsr LANGDON,KENT,
4qqVsr 24,19f. colouRScHEME oF 74(DARK
coNStsrED GREyI/is
ivriocnevt
MOTTLEON FUSELAGEAND 74/75 CAMOUFLAGE
PATTERNON WINGS.
UNDERSURFACESWERE76 (LtcHTGREyl. '%,
; ^;W.

UNIT BADGEON BOTHT'\

SIDESoF FUSELAGE.\./

(W Nr 6431)OF 8/Z.c1.79(SANDYELLOW)
1@E-7ITROP.
RESEARCH:
A. GRANGER.@Isza
ARTWORK:ROY MILLS.
@ UPPER
SURFACES& SIDESWITH78 (SKYBLUE}UNDERSIDES.

o
79 (SANDYELLOW)
l@E 4/TROPOF 1/JG27PAINTED WITH 80 (OLIVEGREEN)
PATCHES
ON UppERSURFACES
AND 78 (SKYBLUE)UNDERNEATH A ON FUSELAGE
SIDES.UNITBADGEON BOTHSIDESOF COWLING.
NOTEWHITENOSECONEON SPINNER.

72
 CAMOUFLAGEPATTERNS& WING MARKINGS

T Y PIC AL 7 0 ( B LA C KGR E E N )/71

(D A R K GR E E NS
) P LIN TE RP A TTE R N
IN U SE D U R IN GP OLIS HC A MP A IGN P . H A S E -OU TOF TH IS S C H E ME
BEGANWINTER1939/40.
L

71 (DARKGREEN)/02
(GREY)& 74 (DARKGREY)/7s(MID GREY)PATERN.

T Y P I C A L8 0 (OL IV EGR EE NM
) O T T LIN G
O N 79 (S AN DY EL L OW )
I

A Mrsrc
v_/ A.0ranger.
SCALE 1/72 t978

IJ
Fig. 14 Adolf Galland as Commander of III/JG26 "Schlageter" in
his yellow-nosed Me 109E-3, July 1940. Note telescopic sight. lvia
Bruce Robertson.l Fis. 15 Gallandinanother Emilof JG26.

was not reintroduced. Gone. too. were the MG FFs

from the wings in favour of a pair of MG FFs, although
the MG 17s above the cowling were retained. This
particular model of the Messerschmitt 109 appears to
have been the first one on which the entire production
batch was fitted from the outset with the flat-topped
hood with its associatedarmour plate behind the pilot's
head, and although this was retrospectively introduced
on earlier models many flew throughout the Battle of
Britain without this modification. guns ensuredthat the problem was obviated immediately
During this same period reports began to appear in that unit at least.
stating that the guns were jamming after only two or Inevitably there followed the fighter-bomber version
three rounds had been fired, and this was eventually of the new model with the designation E-4/8. At the
traced to the freezing up of the breech mechanisms at time this caused some excitement in the British press,
altitude. This problem could not be immediately dealt which was conditioned to the seeming invincibility of
with at the factories and it is on record that experiments the dive-bomber following the successof the Junkers
conducted at field level by JG26 in the heating of the Ju 87 in the earlier attacks on Poland and the Low

Fig. 16 The Me I09E-7. Except for having provision for either a 300 litre drop tank or a bomb load varying from a single 50kg bomb to one oJ
250kg, this model was identical to the E-4N.

a^
Countries and under such headings as "Nazis Use
Fighters As Dive-Bombers" reports that "They carried
one medium bomb, they made one dive attack at 400
miles per hour and then they tried to escape" are typical
of the period. In the event it is true that the bombs were
delivered at quite a steep trajectory, and to aid in this a
red line was frequently painted on the cockpit cover at
45 deg to the horizon so that when the pilot lined this up
parallel the machine was presentedat the correct diving
angle. The modification for employment as bombers
was carried out by means of the same "Rustsatz" kits
as were issuedfor the E-llB but this was not employed
as a suffix to the designation as it was subsequently.
The radio equipment at this period consisted of a
receiver,/transmitterover the waveband between2.5 and
3.7 megacycles.This was continuously tunable but
could be locked on any desired frequency, although this
could not be altered in the air. Power was supplied from
a24 volt lead accumulator of extremely compact design
E
p
sg'
&
d #
.
-.qq.,qi!
\!
of roughly 7 amp hours potential, while the valves were
the usual 5-pin type of the period.
A type of this Messerscmitt l09E-4 existed for use in
tropical climates and was easiiy identified by the long
filter forward of the superchargerair intake on the port
side of the nose, while a night fighter fitted with a
DB.60lN enginewas also introduced.
As with the Focke-Wulf 190, the Messerschmitt109
was the subject of some "double rider" experiments
with capsulesof low frontal area faired into the upper
surface of the wings. Although this idea was tried out
primarily for employment as fuel tanks, on the 109
some attempts were made to incorporate a transparent
fairing into the forward section in order that a para-
chutist could be carried in the prone position and
dropped over hostile territory to act as a spy.
The redoubtableDB.601Aa enginewas returned to in
the reconnaissance version, the E-5, which was armed
with only a pair of MG 17 guns for self-protection, while
Fig. l7 Rumanian Air Force Me 109E-4
sporting on its cowling the exhortation "Hai
Fetito!" (Up Little Girl!).
Fig. 18 Me I09E-3s for Yugoslavia. [via
B ruce R obertson.]
r_
a,
*-*, g+ l
/)

the DB.60lN provided power for the otherwisesimilar
E-6; this engine was also fitted to the E-7 which, except
for the drop-tank, may be considered a re-enginedE-4.
The former was the first version to be fitted for the 300
litre tank and it was carried on a standard ETC 500 bomb
rack originally conceived for the carriage of an SC 500
bomb or one of the PD 500 variety which was armour-
piercing although, as far as is known, the Me 109 was
never utilised in a tank-busting capacity.
For use in North Africa there followed the E-7lTrop,
identified by its pointed spinner, although a number of
E-7s with this feature and filters could be seen over the
Eastern Front's northern sector in 1942. A low-level
/o
Fig. 19 A 250kg bomb-carrying Me I09E-48 of III/JGI.
Fig.20 llead-on view of an E-48 with a 250kg bomb slung from the
ETC 500 belly rack.
version was also developed with an increased weight
mainly due to increased armour and designated the
E-7/U2, while the E-7 /Z had GMI methanol-injection
supercharging.
Another engine change brought about the DB.50lE-
engined E-8 reconnaissancefighter which was followed
by the largely similar but lighter E-9 fitted with a drop-
tank in the same manner as the E-7 already described
and an RB50/30 camera.
In addition to the use of Messerschmitt single-seaters
by the Spanish and SwissAir Forces some Emils were
employed by the Royal Rumanian Air Force which flew
E-4s during 1942; these were finished in splinter camou-
flage above with light blue underparts, often with white
spinners and entire yellow noses, wide rear fuselage
band and bands under the wing tips. The large fuselage
number was also in yellow and the rudder carried
vertical stripes of the national colours of blue (leading),
yellow and red in progressively larger bands. The
yellow national crosseswere blue-edgedwith wide white
outlines and had in the centre a blue fcentre) yellow
and red roundel.
Employed on the southern sector of the Russian
Front in similar finish were the E-7s of the Slovakian
Air Force. With yellow under the noses, wing tips and
in the form of a wide fuselageband, thesemachines had
no rudder markings while the national insignia consisted
of a mid-blue and white version of the Nazi cross with a
large red disc superimposedin the centre.
The Augsburg product was the subject of several
interesting experiments, but spaceonly permits mention
of two: one, carried out in the winter of 1942-43, in-
volved an E-8 fitted with fixed skis for winter operations
in the East; the other experiment involved the rigid
attachment of an E-3 above a DFS 240 troop glider.
It is not generally realised that in an attempt to
challenge British naval superiority, work was begun as
early as 1939 on what may be described as a naval
version of the Me 109 for operation from the aircraft
carrier Graf Zeppelin; apart from fitting catapault
w&*r*

Fig.2l Neat line-up of Me I09E4s in 1940, Fig.22 E-4 W/Nr 1480under armedguard after being uash-landed-reportedly due to damage
from Lewis gun ground fire-near Marde4 Kent, on 5 September1940,Pilat wasObh Franz von llterra, Adjutant of II/JG3.

ffi

77
 spools and an arrester hook, the main eiternal dif-
ferenceconsistedof an increasein wing span of 42Yzin
(l08cm) with an overall folded width for stowage
between decks of l5ft %in (4.95m). The resultant
fighter was redesignated the Me 109T, the suffix
indicating Trager or Carrier. Detail design work was
entrusted to Fieseler and ten E-ls were taken from
the assembly line for conversion to pre-production
Me l09T-0s with the DB.60IA enginesretained. These
were fitted with retractable spoilers on the upper wing
surfaces,to steepenthe angle of glide, and a more robust
undercarriage. However, by the time that trials were
complete, work on the parent carrier had been all but
halted so it was not until late 1940that work was re-started
with the assemblyof 60 T-ls with the idea of employing
them if work on the carrier was recommencedfollowing
the success of British shipborne fighters against the
Italian Fleet at that time. In the event no such decision
was made until some eighteen months later by which time
the machines had been stripped of their naval equipment
and issued as DB.60lN-engined T-2s to I/JG71 (later
known as I/JG5) for operations from small airfields.
Later these were used for more experimental work from
?:.i. a dummy carrier deck near Bergen, but by May 1942
when work was again begun on the Graf Zeppelin it was
considered that the Messerschmitt design had become
too obsoletefor trials to be continued.

Fig.23 A peep inside the rear fuselage of a Me 109 showing con-

struction and cross-section. Fig.24 Close-up of the win MG17
nose armament in von Werra's E-4, W/Nr 1480.

a""

*"8*'
*H*

78
 SPECIFICATION THE Me l09ESERIES
Messerschmitt
Me 1098-3
Type Remarks
Powerplant: One Daimler-Benz DB.60lA twelve- Bf l09E-0 Pre-production machines
cylinder inverted-veeliquid-cooled engine rated at evaluation.
I,l75hp for takeoff and l,000hpat l2,l40ft (3700m). E-1 First production model.
Dimensions:Span 32ft 4%in (9868mm);Length 28ft E-I/B Fighter-bomber variant.
4Yzin (8648mm);height (ground to vertical prop. tip E-3 D B .601A repl acedby D B .601Aa.
datum horizontal) l2ft O%in (3670mm); wing area E-4 MG FF cannon in airscrew hub
174.053sq ft (16.l7m?). deleted.
Performance.'Maximum speed,fully loaded, 290mph E.4/B Fighter-bomber variant.
(467km/h) at sea level; 307mph(494km/h) at 3,280ft E-4lN Night fighter with DB.60lN
(1000m).Maximumcontinuouscruise300mph(483km/h) engine.
at 13,lz0ft (a0CIm).Maximum range410 miles (660km). E-4/Trop. Version for usein North Africa.
Rate of climb at 5,4001b (2a50kg) 3,280ft/min E-5 Reconnaissanceversion with two
(17.83m/sec).Time to 3,280ft(1000m)1.lmin. Service MG l 7s.
ceiling34,450ft( I 0500m). E_6 As E-5 versionbut with DB.60lN.
Armoment: Two 20mm (OerlikonMG FF cannonwith E-7 Provision for drop-tank.
69rpg in wings and two fuselage-mounted 7.9mm E-7/Trop. Filters and pointed spinner fitted.
Rheinmetall-Borsig MG l7 machine-guns with l,000rpg E-7/U2 Armoured low-levelmodel of E-7.
(or 500rpgif MG FF/M installed).One engine-mounted E-'7/Z GMI supercharging.
20mm MG FF/M cannonwith 200 roundsmountedby E-8 Reconnaissance fighter with
someaircraft. D B .60l E .
E-9 Similar to E-8 with RB50/30
camera.
T-0 Ten pre-production carrier
versions.
T-l Sixty production shipboard
fighters.
T-2 De-navalised version with
Fig.25 The DB601A engine installation in another Battle of Britain
DB.60lN engine.
casualty. Nose guns have been removed.
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80
 HAWKER HURRICANE I
By Philip J. R. Moyes

Fig. I Brand new Hurricanes at Brooklands aerodrome before the war. They have the original lVatts two-bladed wooden propellers but instead of
the early "kidney" type exhaust stubs they have Rolls-Royce exhaust ejector stubs. Note the flight instrument venturis on the aircrafts' cockpit
walls.

*
S.t..itl*,i,i,,r,rr,'*,*

'-.- '
"**w".tg#*"

w w

:;.:.q'

81
Figs. 2 & 3 First RAF squadron to receive the Hurricane was Na |Il-the famous "Treble One"-based at Northolt, In the ground view the
nearest machine (again Ll 550) has the standard spearhead-shaped frame enclosing the unit badge on the fin,

'{' tt,,,"".
.illllltKt
,:
" -n ' -J

82
Wartime partner of the equally immortal Spitfire, the
Hawker Hurricane was designed by Sidney (later Sir
Sidney) Camm and his team, and stemmed from a
design project begun in late 1933 for a monoplane
development of the famous Fury biplane interceptor.
Whereas the latter had, in its contemporary mark I
form, a 525hp Rolls-Royce Kestrel engine, the new
fighter, austerely referred to as the Fury Monoplane,
was planned to have the 660hp Rolls-Royce Goshawk
steam-cooledengine.However, when, in January 1934,
Sidney Camm saw the initial design performance figures
of the new Rolls-Royce PV.12, later to become the
famous Merlin, the projected fighter was altered to take
full advantage of this engine's greater power. With the
change of engine, the fighter project was renamed the
InterceptorMonoplane and, as designwork progressed,
an inwards-retracting undercarriage replaced the
original fixed spatted undercarriage and the pilot's
cockpit was enclosedby a transparent canopy.
Hawker received a contract for one prototype in
February 1935, and on 6 November that year the new
silver monoplane (K5083) made its first flight, from
Brooklands, piloted by P.W.S. "George" Bulman, the
company's chief test pilot. Unlike the Spitfire, which Fig. 4 The prototype Hurcicane,K5083,which first flew on
was of modern, light-metal stressed-skin monocoque 1935.
6 November
construction, the Hurricane retained the time-honoured
metal tube construction and fabric covering as used in wings; however, thesedid not appear on production air-
Hawker aircraft since the late 1920s. The fuselage and craft until 1939.
tail unit were basically adaptations of the Fury's, and About three months after its first flight, the prototype
even the wings were fabric-covered over metal structures went to the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental
similar to those of the biplane. The fabric-covered wings Establishment at Martlesham Heath, in Suffolk, for
were viewed with misgivings in some quarters and even preliminary evaluation by the RAF, and although some
before flight trials began, Hawker's project tearn teething troubles were experienced with the Merlin C
initiated a design study into the provision of metal engine, K5083 attained a maximum speed of 3l5mph

Fig. 5 The first production Hurricane I, LI 547. The film used cflused the yellow outer rings of the roundels to become almost invisible.

83
 ,rr$.i,,,,,..;,,

Fig. 6 L1648, one of the first batch of

600 Hurricanes ordered, shows off its
camouflage scheme for the photogrdpher.
In 1940 it served with No 85 Squadron.

Fig. 7 Hurricane Is of No I 1I Squadron'

sporting variegdted unit numerals, arive
at Yillacoublay, in France, in July 1938
to take part in a flypast over Paris as part
af France's Bastille Day Celebrations.

84
(523km/h) at 16,20}ft (4938m)and climbed to 15,000ft
@572m\ within 5.7 minutes of unstick. In March 1936
Hawker, confident that quantity production orders
were imminent, began work on production drawings,
and, simultaneously, draft schedules to cover an
arbitrary potential output of 1,000 aircraft. Its con-
fidence was rewarded on 3 June when a production
order for 600 aircraft was received, and later that
month the new fighter was officially named
"Hurricane".
Production was delayed somewhat as a result of a
decision to adopt the Merlin II engine instead of the
Merlin I, and it was not until 12 October 1937 that the
first Hurricane I (L1547) flew, at Brooklands. The first
squadron to be equipped with what was in fact the
RAF's first fighter capable of a top speed of over
300mph (483km/h) was No 111 at Northolt, beginning
in December1937.The CO, Sqn Ldr J. W. Gillan, made
headline news in February 1938 by flying his Hurricane
from Edinburgh to Northolt at an average speed of
408.75mph (657.8km/h)-albeit assistedby a strong tail-
wind. In April 1938 the first Hurricane with metal
stressed wings flew, and in the months immediately
preceding and following, the first Hurricanes ordered
by Yugoslavia and Belgium flew. Other foreign cus-
tomers who received small quantities of Hurricanes
were Canada (where the type was also built under
licence by the Canadian Car and Foundry Co), South
Africa, Persia,Poland, Rumania and Turkey. Only one
aircraft reached Poland before the Nazi invasion, and
the invasion of Belgium put an end to the programme
Fig. 8 Aircraft of No 56 Squadrory North lVeald, which, in April 1938, became the third squadron to receive the Hurricane. On 6 September
1939, two of its Hurricanes rtere accidentally shot down by Spitfires of No 74 Squadro4 us rclated in the writer's monograph "Supermarine
Spitfire Remembered" (YAP 1975).
whereby Avions Fairey (Societ6 Anonyme Belge)
built the Hurricane under licence after only two aircraft
had been completed.
At the outbreak of World War 2, RAF Fighter Com-
mand had 18 Hurricane squadrons as against nine full
squadrons of Spitfires. In the early week of the war
four squadrons went to France, Nos I and 73 Squadrons
to serve alongside the Fairey Battle and Bristol
Blenheim bombers of the Advanced Air Striking Force,
and Nos 85 and 87 with the Air Component of the
British Expeditionary Force. All the Hurricanes serving
in France initially had the original two-bladed wooden
propellers, and it was such a machine of No I Squadron
which, on 30 October 1939,claimed the first enemy air-
craft shot down on the Western Front; the pilot was
Plt Off P. W. O. "Boy" Mould, and the victim a
Dornier DolT over Toul. In the following month, the
very same Hurricane (L1842) had half its rudder and
one elevator smashedoff during an aerial collision with
a French Air Force Morane fighter; the pilot, Sgt
Clowes, managed to get the crippled Hurricane back to
base but crashed on landing, albeit without injury to
himself.
Hurricanes saw action with the Finnish Air Force
during that first winter of World War 2-fighting the
Russian Air Force for six weeks until the peace treaty
endedhostilitieson 12 March 1940.
In April the Germans invaded Norway, and on 26
May eighteenHurricanes of No 46 Squadron were taken
to Norway by the aircraft carrier HldS Glorious. The
first three nosed over in the soft surface on arrivins at
. * !w " :,.
, _.-..,,.,j,..ililiexs-
-,,r.,
-f'
'E4ftSt
85
 Fig. 9 Hurricane I L1707 was displayed
on Hawker Siddeley's stand at the 1938
Paris Air Show, afterwards being allotted
to No 79 Squadron at Biggin Hill. Note
triple ejector exhaust manifolds and
ventrul fin. Latter was introduced on
production aircraft from March 1938 and
at the same time the hitherto retractable
tailwheel was fixed.

F Fig. 10 Fine detail shot of L1791 with

" "* . " t ) - " " Hawker test pilot R. C. Reynell standing
in the cockpit and Lord Nuffield looking
on. This machine subsequently went to
No 46 Squadron at Digby,

Fig. l1 Hurricanes of Treble One

Squadron, carrying the pre-war codes
"TM" (L1822 TM-R nearest), prepdre
for a practice scramble from their base at
"t*t
Northolt.

5
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ffiwffi

86
 {;,ffi

Fig. 12 A stannic "bomb" is used as a wind-indicator for Hurricanes of No 87 Squadron in France during the "phaney" war.

their proposed base at Skaanland, so the remainder
were diverted to Bardufoss to join No 263 Squadron's
Gladiators. These two squadrons were the only RAF
fighter units to take part in the ill-starred Norwegian
campaign.On 7 and 8 June, most of No 46 Squadron's
remaining Hurricanes returned safely to HMS Glorious
to be evacuated, but only a few hours later the carrier
was sunk by the Scharnhorst and Gneisenau; only two
of the pilots survived, one of them being the squad-
ro n 's CO .
During the Battle of France in May and June 1940,
many RAF Hurricane squadrons besidesthose already
mentioned saw action against the German invaders,
including several home-based units. Losses were
extremely heavy and in the final stages of the bitter
campaign many Hurricanes, deprived as they were of
sparesor fuel, had to be destroyed on their airfields to
prevent them from being captured. Even so, the
Hurricanes had made their presencefelt, as was seen,
for instance, during the first sevendays of the offensive
in northern France when the Air Component's
"Hurris" destroyed between 60 and 70 aircraft for a
lossof 22 of their own in combat.
Meanwhile, the Merlin III and the earlier Merlin II
had become the standard powerplants for the Hurricane I,
and aircraft with these engines driving three-bladed
metal variable-pitch propellers had begun to leave the
production linesearly in 1939.
When the Luftwaffe began its massiveattacks against
Britain's airfields and radar stations as well as her

Fig. 13 Some of No 73 Squadron's Hurricane Is over France during the "phoney" war. Formation includes P2569 D' P2575 J and N2358 Z'
llith No 1 Squadron No 73 formed 67 Wing, Advanced Air Striking Force, in France and both squadrons deleted their code letters but carried
red, white and blue rudder stripes for the benefit of trigger-happy French fighter pilots.

.:.li
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32 SOUADRONMK I (ROTOLAIRSCREW}
IN BATTLEOF BRITAINMARKINGS.
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92
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93
Figs. 14 & 15 Hurricanes of No 85 Squadron above cloud-covered England towards the end of the Baftle of Britain. Note how the "Sky"
surface colour has been extended up the side of the nose of P3408 YY-K.
Channel convoys on 12 August 1940, No 11 Group's
thirteen squadrons of Hurricanes, six squadrons of
Spitfires and two of Blenheim IFs based in south-
eastern England had to take the full shock of it' The
tacticsplannedby Fighter Command's famous AOC-in-C,
Sir Hugh Dowding, and Air Vice-Marshal K. R. Park
who commanded No I I Group, were for the Hurricanes
to intercept the high-flying bombers while the Spitfires
tackled the higher-flying fighter escort. This was a
logical scheme, for at their rated altitude of around
15,000ft (4572m) the Hurricanes were a match for any
Luftwaffe aircraft of that time, and the attacking
bombers rarely flew above 17,000ft (5182m). The
enginesof the Spitfires, on the other hand, were rated
for optimum performance at 18,000ft (5486m). In
practice,thesetactics could not always be followed, for
various reasons,including the unforseenone that some of
the combats would take place well above 20,000ft (61mm)
where the Me 109 could out-perform eventhe Spitfire I.
The successof the Hurricane in the Battle of Britain
has been well recorded elsewhere,but it is worth men-
tioning here that this redoubtable fighter destroyed
more enemy aircraft during the battle than the com-
bined total of all other defences-aircraft and anti-
aircraft girns. However, in fairness to the Hurricane's
fighting partner, the Spitfire, it is only right to point out
that throughout the battle the Hurricane squadrons
94
under'
were more numerous. Incidentally, the first Hurricane
IIAs began to reach the squadrons from 4 September
1940, but of course the Mk I constituted the bulk of
Fighter Command's Hurricane element for severalmore
months.
Recalling some of the critical days of late August and
early September, one Hurricane pilot afterwards wrote:
"These were hectic days and the only time we saw the
pilots of other squadrons was when we rhet in the mess
during the evening after long hours in the air or at readi-
ness.But often, just as one was becoming friendly with
a pilot he would get shot down and we would see him
no more.
"When we met the Hun we 'mixed it' well and truly.
Usually we waited for a moment or two until we were
in a favourable position before making the first
attack. After that it was every man for himself. There
were always more Huns than ourselves.We whirled
around taking squirts at as many machinesas possible;
sometimes when they burst into flames, the crew baled
out or we were lucky enough to see where they hit the
grourrdl then we were able to claim victories.
"After the battle we would rush back to our base,tell
our stories to the Intelligence Officer, then ask him to
get through to the hospitals to see if a friend had got
any before he was shot down. I remember the German
bombers, flying in a tight formation, crossing the
Fig. 16 A Merlin lll-powered Hurricane I from Gloster's third main production batch.

English coast and thinking to myself that they were

about to drop their bombs in England, and that I was
in a Hurricane and could stop them. I dived to attack
and laughed as they broke formation; the crew of one
Heinkel baled out; the others sprayed me with tracer-
many bullet holes in my plane that time, but within an
hour the ground crews had fixed it and my Hurricane
was ready for action again.
"Our life had a devil-may-care sort of happiness but
often as we lay in the sun near our machines, waiting at
readiness, there were moments of great beauty; some-
how the colours in the field seemed brightest and the
sky the deepest blue just before taking off to meet
another raid. At dusk everything became peaceful. We
were all tired but happy at the thought of another day's
work accomplished. Our Hurricanes stood silhouetted
against the sky looking strong and confident, the grow-
ing darkness hiding the patched-up paintwork. The
following morning we awoke to the roar of engines
being testedfor another day's work. "
When the Luftwaffe attacked Gosport on 16 August
1940, one Hurricane pilot, Flt Lt J. B. Nicolson of

arerefuelledandre-
Figs.17& 18 HurricaneIs of No 601Squadron
armed at Tangmere in 1940, Pilot at left in view below is Msx Aitken.

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97
No 249 Squadron, based at Boscombe Down, won what
proved to be the only Victoria Cross awarded to RAF
Fighter Command. The section of three Hurricanes
he was leading was just about to attack some Me l10s
when it was bounced from astern by Me l09s and all
three Hurricanes were hit. Four cannon shells struck
Nicolson's machine. One of them tore through the cock-
pit hood and sent splinters into his left eye, almost
severingthe eyelid and temporarily blinding him in that
eye. Another shell struck and exploded the reserve fuel
tank behind the instrument panel, which set the Hur-
ricane on fire. The third crashed into the cockpit and
tore away his right trouser leg. The last hit his left foot
and wounded his heel.
Nicolson swerved and dived to avoid further shells.
and finding a I 10 ahead of him he dived after it at about
400mph (6$akm/h). Getting the 110 in his gun sight,
he pressedthe firing button and, as he did so, he saw his
right thumb blistering in the heat. He also saw his left
hand, holding open the throttle, blistered in the flames.
The instrument panel was shattered and "dripping like
treacle".
"Curiously enough", he later recalled, "although the
heat inside must have been intense. in the excitement I
did not feel much pain. In fact, I remember watching
the skin being burnt off my left hand. All I was con-
cerned about was keeping the throttle open to get my
first Hun. "
The Messerschmitt weaved from side to side to avoid
the hail of bullets from Nicolson's now blazine
Fig. 21 More good detail here in a view of L1562, skteenth production
ttro-pitch three-blade metal propeller in 1938,
".Tryc
98
Hurricane. In the cockpit the heat was so great that
Nicolson put his feet on the seat beneath his parachute
while he continued to fight until the ll0 disappearedin
a steep dive. Nicolson then tried to bale out of his air-
craft and struck his head on the framework of the hood
-which was all that remained of it. He threw it back
and tried to jump again. This time he realised that he
had not unpinned the harness straps holding him into
his seat. One broke, doubtlessly burnt. He undid the
other and at last jumped out, only to be wounded in the
buttocks by shotgun pellets fired at him by an over-
zealous Local Defence Volunteer as he floated down by
parachute. In addition to the VC, Nicolson won the
DFC later in the war, and was posted missing, believed
killed after a Liberator bomber crash in the Far East
in May 1945.
RAF Hurricane Is went into action in the Middle East
and Mediterranean in 1940; and in the following
year, when the Germans invaded Yugoslavia, about 40
Hurricanes were serving with the Royal Yugoslav Air
Force. By that time Hurricane production under licence
had begun in Belgrade, but the enemy's occupation of
the country brought it to a close. The Germans swept
through Yugoslavia and on into Greece where Hurri-
canesand Gladiators of Nos 33, 80 and ll2 Squadrons
made a courageous but utterly hopeless stand against
both the German and also the Italian air forces. The
British fighters were soon overwhelmed and the pilots
who survived withdrew first to Crete and finally back
to Egypt from whence they had first come. By now,
Hunicane, which was used for flight tials of the de Haviltand-Hamilton
;:M """.
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99
though, the Luftwaffe was operating in North Africa
and the outmoded Hurricane Is were greatly handi-
capped by the bulky tropical sand filters, fitted over the
carburettor air intakes, which reduced their top speed
to little over 300mph (a83km/h).
Hurricane Is fought with RAF squadrons in the Far
East during the early stagesof the campaign there-in
Singapore,the Dutch East Indies, Burma and Ceylon.
Following the fall of Singapore,24 Mk Is were handed
over to the Dutch in Java and operated by the Dutch
Java Air Force during February and March 1942. One
Squadron defended Batavia, whilst other machines
attacked invading Japaneseseaborne forces at Bantam
Bay and Kretan. In just over two weeks, 30 enemy air-
craft were destroyed by the Dutch pilots at a cost of 18
Hurricanes.
A total of 3,924 Hurricane Is were eventually com-
pleted in the UK-l ,924 of them by Hawker and the rest
by Gloster. The first Canadian-built Hurricane I
(P5170) flew on 9 January 1940 and machines from the
Dominion began to arrive in the UK in time to fight the
the Battle of Britain. All told. 160 Canadian Hurricane Is
were built, being eventually redesignatedMk X as they
differed from the British-built aircraft in havine
American Packard-built Merlin 28 eneines.
100
SPECIFICATION
Powerplant: (late production aircraft) one l,030hp
Rolls-Royce Merlin III twelve-cylinder liquid-cooled vee
engine.
Dimensions: Span 40ft }in (l2l92mm); length 3lft. 5in
(9576mm); height'with airscrew vertical-flying attitude
l2ft O%in/l2ft 2in (3670mm/3708mm) according to
airscrew fitted; wing area (gross)258sq ft (24m2).
Lveights: (empty) 4,9821b (2260k9; (loaded) 6,4471b
(2e24kd.
Performance.'Max speed254mph (409km/h) at sea
level; rate of climb at ll,000ft (3353m)2,420ft/min
(738mlmin); max range with 20 min reserves425mls
(684km);serviceceiling34,200ft(10970m).
Armament:Eight .303in(7,7mm)Browningmachine-
gunswith 334roundspergun.
Fig.23 Another view of L1562 with its ds yet unpainted DH-
Hamilton twa-pitch three-bladed propeller. Test pilot is P. G. Lucas.
 REPUBLIC P-47DTHUNDERBOLT
By John B. Rabbets

Fig. 1 P-47D-1L-RE42-75587"Li'l Sunshine" of the 379thFighter Squadron, 362ndFighter Group, Ninth AF, on a sortiefrom lltormindord,
near Colchester,early in 1944.

".

T ' "' "' ,

ll:,rl."l

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101
Fig.2 Head-on view of the Republic Thunderbolt emphasizes the deep oval section fuselage, large radial engine driving a 12ft (3657.60mm)
diameter propeller, projecting oil cooler shutters and four degree dihedral wing. [Republic via R. A. Freeman]
The P-47D was the most numerous version of the most
produced American fighter plane of World War 2, the
Republic Thunderbolt. Of more than fifteen and a half
thousand P-47smade betweenMay 1941and December
1945, 12,602were D-models constructed at Farmingdale,
Long Island and Evansville, Indiana from December
1942 onwards. The 354 P-47Gs built by Curtiss Wright
at Buffalo were essentiallyD-models too.
The Thunderbolt served with Free French, Soviet,
Brazilian and Mexican forces in addition to the USAAF
and Royal Air Force. Four hundred and forty-six
P-47Ds went to the Free French, and some remained in
serviceuntil 1954 against Algerian rebels. One hundred
and ninety-six P-47D-22-RE and P-47D-27-RE
Thunderbolts reached Soviet Russia out of 203
originally despatchedvia Persia. The lst Fighter Squadron
of the Brazilian Air Force operated some of the eighty-
eight Brazilian Thunderbolts as a fourth squadron with
the 350th Fighter Group of the US l2th Air Force in
Italy from October 1944.Early in 1945,with its training
complete, the 201st Fighter Squadron of the Mexican
Air Force joined US forces in the South West Pacific
with 25 P-47Ds. Japan surrenderedbefore it became
operational. The 830 P-47Ds lend leasedto the Royal
Air Force operated exclusively with South-East Asia
Command.
Progressive development was the hallmark of the
D-model. The early D closely resembledthe C in most
respects,whereasthe late D-model was comparable with
the M in power and performance. It had the cut-down,
more streamlined rear fuselage and bubble canopy
which gave the pilot vital all-round vision. The Thunder-
bolt had great consistency and harmony of form. The
outline of the partly elliptical planform wing with its
straight leading edge and curved trailing edge, was
echoed in the similar shape of the vertical and horizontal
tail surfaces, and the deep curved fuselage of generous
proportions harmonised with the flying surfaces.
t02
Of the USAAF's five main wartime single-seatfighter
types, only the P-47 had a radial engine. This was the
large, extremely reliable two-row Pratt & Whitney R-2800
motor installedin a deep, low-drag cowling. Positioned
midway along the fuselage,the cockpit took up lessthan
half the available depth. The whole lower part of the
oval section monocoque structure was occupied by
ducting which conveyed air and exhaust gases under
the wing to and from the heavy supercharger installed
just forward of the retractabletailwheel. Russian-born
designer Alexander Kartveli first positioned and
balanced the large engine and bulky turbo-supercharger
and then completedthe designof the rest of the fuselage.
The tremendous power of the engine was absorbed by
an unprecedented12ft 2in (3709mm) diameter Curtiss
Electric or 13ft l%in (40l0mm) diameter Hamilton
Standard Hydromatic four-bladed propeller. The four
degree dihedral wing of Republic 53 section was built
around two main spars and three auxillary ones which
supported ailerons, flaps and undercarriage. Like the
fuselage it was covered with flush-riveted Alclad stressed
skin. Giving the necessaryground clearance, the long
inward-retracting undercarriage units had to shrink
nine inches (229mm) during retraction to allow the eight
.50in (l2.7mm) calibre Browning guns to be
accommodatedwithin the deeper midspan portion of
the wing whilst giving adequate ammunition storage
towards the tips. The guns were staggeredin their bays
to simplify ammunition feed.
Each gun weighed 65lb (29.5kg) and fired a mixture
of incendiary, tracer and armour-piercing ammunition
at 800 rounds per minute. Bombs and droptanks could
be carried on streamlined underwing pylons located at
the highly stressedaileron/flap joint or slung frbm the
belly shackles despite the relatively restricted ground
clearance. By July 1944, the Thunderbolt was con-
sidered the best ground-strafing machine available
to the Allies. Moreover. it could absorb far more
punishment that any other fighter type and yet bring its
pilot safely back to base. Two 5001b (227kg) bombs
on the wing racks were the most common load for
ground attack. Fragmentation bombs were carried in
clustersand P-47Dsoccasionallycarried2501b(113.5kg)
GP bombs in threes on each wing rack. From the
P-47D-20-RE model, an offensive load of 2,5001b
(l l34kg) could be carried.
On l7 August, Lt Colonel David Schilling flew a P-47D
with three-tube4.5in (ll5mm) rockets under each wing
on a mission against railway rolling stock, but the
weapon was never popular. The P47D-28-RA belonging
to Colonel Frederick C Gray, CO of the 78th Fighter
Group, for a time had a 20mm cannon slung from each
wing rack. Vibration problems terminated this
experiment.
Republic P-47Cs first arrived as deck cargo to join the
US Eighth Air Force in'England on 20 December 1942.
After reassembly at depots such as Burtonwood, they
were issued to the 4th, 56th and 78th Fighter Groups in
January 1943, and to the 495th Fighter Training Group
at Atcham. P-47Ds arrived in April 1943 and rapidly
supplantedthe C-models.
Fig.3 In this view a P-47D-1I-RE, 42-75568, clearly portrays the elliptical planform wing, pointed windscreen, framed sliding cockpit canopy
and sharp rear fuselage spine. The wing guns and pointed hub of the Curtiss Electric propeller stand out sharply. (Republic via R. A. Freemanl
Enormous mercantile losses made shipping fighter
planes across the Atlantic a risky business. So in
August 1943, ten P-47Ds were experimentally air
delivered to the Eighth Air Force via the North Atlantic
ferry route. One of the pilots was Captain Barry M
Goldwater, later famous as a Senator from Arizona. He
flew a P-47D-5-RE, 42-8550,called "Peggy-G", with
nine other Thunderbolts in stagesfrom Farmingdale via
Presque Isle, Goose Bay, Blueie West One (Greenland)
and Meeks Field (near Reykjavik, Iceland) to Prestwick.
For the flight each Thunderbolt carried two underwing
165gallon (625 litre) tanks and a homing radio compass
with D/F loop behind the cockpit. Each of the two
flights of five Thunderbolts was led by a B-24E whilst
ahead was a C-87 acting as overall flight leader. The
stages were flown at ground speeds of 180-190mph
Q90-306km/h). Neither Republic nor Fighter Command
nor Ferry Command liked the long over-water ferrying
of single-enginedsingle-seatfighters, and the operation
was not repeated.
The 353rd Fighter Group joined the Eighth Air Force
with Thunderbolts in August, the 352nd and 355th in
September,the 356th in October and the 358th and 359th
103
Fig. 4 The characteristic wide track undercarriage common to all models of the Thunderbolt is clearly shown in this ground shot of a P-47C.
Also visible are the distinctive elliptical engine cowling and starboard wing root cockpit air conditioning intake. lRepublic via R. A. Freemanl
in December 1943. in January 1944the 36lst FG became
the last Thunderbolt group to join the Eighth which had
reached a peak strength of ten Thunderbolt groups. The
358th Fighter Group did not remain long with the
Eighth. On I February 1944 it went to the Ninth Air
Force in exchangefor the 357th equipped with Mustangs.
The majority of future long-ranging Mustang groups
served with the Eighth and new Thunderbolt groups
were allocated to the Ninth Air Force, reforming in
England as a tactical air force for the impending
invasion of Europe.
Before the Merlin-powereci Mustangs finally fulfilled
the ideal of escortsable to accompany the heaviesall the
way to the target, Eighth Air Force Thunderbolts had
gained a degree of air superiority over the Luftwaffe.
The first confirmed Eighth Air Force Thunderbolt
victory over a German jet fighter had been on 29 August
1944,when Major JosephC Myers and Lt Manford O Croy
shared the destruction of an Me262 near Brusselsduring
and evening mission by the 78th Fighter Group. When
the 78th FG finally relinquished its three squadrons of
P47Ds in December 194, and re-equippedwith P-51Ds,
only the 56th FG of the Eighth continued to operate the
Thunderbolt.
In the two years between the first of 447 missions
on 13 April 1943 and the last on 2l April 1945,
the 56th destroyed 674V2 enemy aircraft in the air-more
than any other Eighth AF fighter group-and 311 on
the ground, for a loss of 128 Thunderbolts. Among
its 62 aces-more than any other USAAF group-were
Colonel Francis S Gabreski and Captain Robert S
Johnson each with 28 air victories. Close behind came
Colonel David C Schilling and Major Frederick J
Christensen both with 22V2, Major Walker H Mahurin
with 19% and the legendary Colonel Hubert A Zemke
104
with 17 air victories whilst flying P-47s with the 56th.
Half of Bob Johnson's victories were Fw190s, Dave
Schilling shot down three Bf109s and two Fwl90s on
23 December 1944 and Frederick Christensen was the
first Eighth AF pilot to shoot down six enemy aircraft on
one mission on 7 July 1944. Gerald W Johnson who
becamethe group's first aceon l8 August 1943was shot
down on his 88th mission on 27 March 1944with a score
of l8 air victories.
In October 1943, it was known that the Mustang
would be coming to VIIIth Fighter Command. Colonel
Zemke, then group commander of the 56th, put in a bid
to get the P-51 for the group. This did not materialise,
and the unit continued to use the Thunderbolt until the
end of the war. The P-47Ms which arrived in England in
early 1945 not only offered the group a superior
performance to the late D-models it had been flying, but
with a top speed of 465mph (749km/h) at 32,000ft
(9753m) the P-47M was faster than the Mustang. By
the end of the war, the 56th FG had claimed seven
Me262s and two Ar234s. With one exception they were
downed in March and April 1945, when the group had
been largely re-equipped with the P-47}lI.
Faced by nearly one thousand VIIIth Fighter
Command fighters, German BflO9s and Fwl9Os pre-
ferred to molest unaccompanied or weakly escorted
VIIIth Bomber Command heavy bombersin early 1944,
and avoid battle with the P-38s and P-47s. Yet the
alarming Luftwaffe fighter numbers had to be destroyed
before D-Day, set for early June 1944. Colonel
Glenn E Duncan, CO of the 353rd Fighter Group there-
fore suggested to Major General William E Kepner,
Commanding General of VIIIth Fighter Command, that
sixteen volunteers from four different P-47 groups be
given specially intensive training in the art of ground
 'l * q.

F jGe

Fig. 6 More p-47D-22-REs at Farmingdale including 42-25974, 42-26065 and 42-26079, Blunt hub of the Hamilton Standard propeller and
underwing stores pylons show in this photograpfi. [Republic via R. A. Freeman]

%,'"

105

Figs.7 & 8 Close-upsof a RepublicP-47D-20-RA fitted v'ith three
launchertubeclustersfor 4.5in (11.43mm)
folding fin rocketsunder
eachwing.[RepublicviaR. A. Freeman]
strafing. Under Duncan as CO, the unit, irreverently
called "Bill'sBtJzz Boys", comprisedfour flights from
the 353rd, 355th, 359th and 36lst Fighter Groups. The
P-47Ds they flew all had paddle-bladed propellers, to
ensuregood low altitude performance. In eight missions
beginning 26th March 1944, the unit despatched 83
effective sorties. Three P-47s and two pilots were lost
and 13 Thunderbolts suffered damage. But the unit
claimed 14 enemy aircraft destroyed, six probably
106
destroyed, 14 damaged on the ground, and one
probably destroyed in the air. Seventeenlocomotives,
a boat and a hangar were accounted for and nine flak
towers strafed. Then the unit disbanded and the flights
returned to their home bases.
Bill's Buzz Boys changed the Luftwaffe's policy of
conserving planes by keeping them on the ground
except when they could be used to fullest advantage.
From now on the German Air Force would either have
to fight in the air where it could be mastered or be
strafed and destroyed on the ground b! roving Allied
fighters.
The 5th Emergency Rescue Squadron was formed in
the Eighth Air Force in early N4ay 1944. Based first at
Boxted and then at Halesworth it supplemented Royal
Air Force Air-Sea Rescueservices.It was equipped with
war-weary P-47Ds from every P-47 group in VIIIth
Fighter Command. Initially they each carried two
108 gallon (409 litre) external wing tanks, a container
for two British M-type dinghies under the belly and
four smoke marker bombs on racks under each wing
behind the wheel wells. The useful load was soon
revisedto provide for a 150 gallon (568 litre) belly tank,
an M-type dinghy pack on each underwing rack and
four smoke markers aft of the belly tank.
Early in the morning of 13 June 1944, the first of
7,54'1 Yl flying bombs launched against Englahd,
pulsed its way towards London. On 30 June the first
one to be shot down by an Eighth Air Force pilot was
 downed by Lieutenant J Tucker, a member of the 5th
ERS flying a war-weary P-47D.
In its tactical operations, the Ninth Air Force showed
what a superb ground attack machine theP-47 was, and
how much punishment it could absorb. With fifteen
groups of Thunderbolts, it was the largest user of the
type. From February 1944 untll VE Day, Thunderbolts
were sometime or continuously the equipment of the
36th 48th, 50th 354th, 35gth, 362nd, 365th, 366th,
367th, 368th, 37lst, 373rd, 4D4th, 405th and 406th
Fighter Groups. Except for the Distinguished Unit
Citation awarded to the 365th FG for an aerial duel on
21 October 1944 over the Bonn-Dtsseldorf area, all
the 2l DUCs won by the groups were for ground
support and strafing attacks against airfields and enemy
ground forces on the Continent after D-Day.
A typical unit was the 404th Fighter Group which
arrived in the United Kingdom on 3 April 1944. Its
first operational sortie with 48 Thunderbolts took place
on I May 1944 under Lt Col C W McColpin, an
Eagle Squadron veteran. The group was engaged on
operations over the Normandy bridgehead until 7 June.
Subsequently it moved to the Continent to fly escort
missions.Its 506th Squadron had razorback D-models,
whilst its other two squadronshad bubble-canopiedDs.
The 404th's last operations were flown from Kelz Fritzlar
in Germany. In spring 1945, a black "Thunderbird"
motif became standard on the nose cowls of the
group's P-47Ds.
The Twelfth Air Force began missions with Operation
Fig.9 42'23278,a P'47D-15-RA restoredby Republic and flown at the 25th ParisSalon at Le Bourget in 1963.Bearlng the civil registration
N5087Yand the codesHY-P it waspiloted by GlennC. Bach, an ex 359thFighter Group captainof WW2. (Republicvia R. A. Freemanl
Torch, the landings in North West Africa, on 8 November
1942.But its six fighter groups eventually equipped with
Thunderbolts had to wait another year for the first
P-47s. The 57th Fighter Group had its P-47s for the
longest period, November 1943 to May 1945, and the
early machines came in olive drab finish. Like the 57th.
the 79th and 350th Fighter Groups moved to Italy with
their P-47s in September 1944. The other three
Twelfth Air Force P-47 groups, the27th,86th and 324th
FGs were transferred from the l2th AF to the lst
Tactical Air Force, the 324th in November 1944and the
27th and 86th in February 1945.
Lt Raymond L Knight of the 350th FG was awarded
the Congressional Medal of Honor for missions against
heavily defended airfields in Northern Italy when he
personally accounted for 20 aircraft in two days. His
Thunderbolt crashed from flak damage in the Apennines
on 25 April 1945 and Lt Knight died as he vainly
tried to regain his base. His Medal of Honor was the
only one awarded to an MTO pilot and to a P-47 pilot
in Europe.
On I November 1943, a new strategic air force, the
Fifteenth, began to be built up to use the Foggia
airfield complex of southern Italy. It was predicted that
winter weather there would allow the Fifteenth's
bombers to make twice as many attacks on German
industry compared with those of the UK-based Eighth.
Targets in southern Europe and the Balkans could also
be reached and German defencesfurther stretched and
weakened.
107
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Figs. 10 & 1l In the uppermost of these two additional views of 42-23278 the machine is seen to have a D/F aerial ,,egg" under its belly.
via R. A. Freemanl
By May 1944, the Fifteenth Air Force possessedseven
fighter groups. Only two were equipped for a period of
just under eight months with P-47Ds. The 325th Fighter
Group, the celebrated"Checkertails", f,lew olive drab
Thunderbolts carrying black and yellow group
identification tail checks with the Fifteenth from
November 1943 until \pril 1944. Their forward cowlings
were red. Most Thunderbolts allocatedto the 332nd FG
in May and June 1944 came from the 325th. The
conspicuciustail checks were overpainted olive drab or
red. The unit's few new silver bubble-canooiedP47Ds
receivedred tails.
tt4
[Republic
The 325th FG Thunderbolts flew 97 missions and
3,626 sorties mainly as escort for the Fifteenth's heavy
bombers. They claimed 153 victories for the loss of 38
P47Ds. Whilst flying the Thunderbolt six 325th FG pilots
qualified as aces, and 66 pilots destroyed one or more
enemy aircraft in the air. The unit receiveda Distinguished
Unit Citation for mission 39. The group's Thunder-
bolts preceded the attacking bombers to the airfield at
Villaorba where they destroyed 38 of the defending
fighters and probably six more. The almost unmolested
bombing blastedanother 70 enemy planeson the ground.
Only two Thunderboltswere lost.
Fig. 12 The P'47K was radically modifted from the last P-47D-5-RE, 42-8702, to have a bubble canopy, cut-down rear
fuselage decking and
repositioned radio equipment. It was completed 3 July 1943, Its star and bar markings had the current red sunound. [Republic via R. A. Freeman]

Fig. 13 A bubble canopy P-47D'26'RA in natural metal finish and uncluttered by underwing pylons. Curtiss Electric propeller. [Republic via
R. A. Freemanl

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Fig. 14 A P-47D-25-RE carrying a 75 gallon (284 litre) belly tank and a t50 gallon (568 litre) tank on each wing pylon. Hamilton Standard
propeller. lRepublic via R. A. Freeman]

Fig. l5 A P'47D-25'RE, 42-26428, in flight clearly showing the improvement obtained by fitting a bubble canopy.
[Republic via R. A. Freeman]

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116

*-
-*F-
Fig. 16 One of g00p-47D-30-REs built, This one, 44-20571, and coded DS-C, belonged to the 386th Fighter squadron of the 365th Fighter Group
of the Ninth Air Force. [USAF via Harry Holmes]
Royal Air Force Thunderbolts servedwith South East
-Command,
Asia although a few were evaluated in the
United Kingdom. These included Thunderbolt I FL844
(USAAF io 42-25'792)a "razotback" P-47D-22-RE'
and three Mark IIs HDl82, KJ298 and KJ299' The
last RAF Thunderbolt II, KL887 (a P-47D-40-RA'
USAAF No 44-90335),with electricallyoperatedbubble
canopy, dorsal fin fillet and underwing rocket clips, also
came to this country, being finally scrapped at RAF
Lichfield in 1946.
First RAF Thunderbolt squadron was No 146 which
began to convert to Thunderbolt Is in May 1944'
gy SeptemUer,with some Mark IIs as well' it was on
aimed reconnaissances and "Rhubarbs" on the Burma
front. It was flying more than 1,000 sorties per month,
first from Kumbhirgram and then Wangjing, liaising
Ftg. t1 A raz,orback RAF Thunderbolt I, FLg44 (USAAF No 42-25792) was a P-47D-22-RE retained in the
It t{ore standard Fighter Command colours and is seen here in 1946 at R4F Lichfietd awaiting scrapping. fAuthor]
,.,,"r*l1i)"''
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with the Army on "cab rank" duties between
November 1944 and April 1945. Before the end of 1944'
nine RAF squadronswere flying Thunderbolt Is and IIs,
and by the end of the war, sixteensquadronsin South
East Asia had re-equipped with the type. Three of these'
Nos 8l (coded FL), 13 (NX) and 615 (KW) had con-
verted from Spitfires;the rest, Nos 5 (OQ)' 30 (RS)' 34'
a2 (A w ); 60 (MU ), 79 (N V ), 113 (A D )' 123 ( XE) '
134 (GQ), 135 (wK), 2s8 (ZT) and 26r (FJ) had
previouslysloggedaway with Hurricanes.
RAF Thunderbolts of both marks carried white
recognition nose, chordwise wing arrd tail stripes on
early green and grey camouflaged aircraft, and black or
dark blue stripes on the later natural metal finish
machines. Roundels and fin flashes were the standard
lieht and dark blue common to all SEAC aircraft.
united Kingdom for evdluation.
f
I
' l;ti1i8r:1

Fig. 18 TheverylastRAF Thunderbolt II, KL887,a P-47D-40-RA
(USAAFNo 44-90335) in stainednaturalmetalfinish but with-duck
eggfuselageband, shallow dorsalfin fillet and underwingrocket
clips,whichwasfinally suapp,edat RAF Lichfieldin 1947,[Author]
Only the evaluation Thunderbolts based in the United
Kingdom and those that equipped No 73 OTU at Fayid
in Egypt wore the duck-egg fuselage bands of Fighter
Command machines.
Except for Alaska, the Thunderbolt operated on all
active warfronts from early 1943. in the South West
Pacific the Fifth Air Force was both the strategic and
tactical air arm of General Douglas MacArthur's north-
ward return from New Guinea back to the Philippines.
Four of the Fifth's six fighter groups were at one time
wholly or partly equipped with P-47Ds. The 348th
Fighter Group introduced the P-47D Thunderbolt to
Pacific operations in May 1943 and retained the type
until January 1945 when the four squadrons of the
group converted to P-5lD Mustangs. On ll October
1943, Colonel Neel E Kearby, the Group Commander
in P-47D number 73, 42-8145 "Firey Ginger",
personally shot down six aircraft from an escorted
Japanese bomber formation. Kearby's flight of four,
low on fuel, were returning home after a reconnaissance
missionto Wewak. The action won him a Congressional
Medal of honor, the first to be awarded to a USAAF
fighter pilot. Colonel Kearby was killed in action on
5 March 1944. At the time he was the highest scoring
P-47 acein the SWPA with22 victories.
After flying Airacobras and then Lightnings, all
squadrons of the 35th Fighter Group converted to
P47Ds in November 1943and then flew them on opera-
tions from early in 1944 until March 1945, when
Mustangs replaced them. On the other hand only the
9th Fighter Squadron of the 49th Fighter Group had the
P-47D and this from November 1943to April 1944.
Lastly the 58th Fighter Group entered combat in
February 1944with "Razorback" P-47Ds. Its Thunder-
bolts shot down only 12 enemy aircraft, probably
becausethe group's later role was almost exclusively a
tactical and interdiction one. Sometime in 1943the wing
leading edgesand tails were painted white on all 5th Air
Force single-enginedfighters. This was one of the first
theatre markings to identify planes to ground troops.
When the Marianas were stormed by American forces
in June 1944, P-4'7D Thunderbolts of the 318th Fighter
Group of the Seventh Air Force flew off the decks of
two escort carriers to land on Saipan the moment an
airfield was available. From then on the group
supported ground forces on Saipan, Tinian and Guam,
strafed enemy airfields and patrolled US bases. Later
r18
from le Shima, the 318th FG, re-equipped'from April
1945 with P-47Ns, joined other similarly equipped
groups like the 508th FG of the Seventh Air Force and
the 4l3rd, 4l4th and 507th Fighter Groups of the
Twentieth Air Force to escort the new B-29s and also
fly ground attack missions.
The Tenth Air Force and the Fourteenth Air Force
together comprised the USAAF element in the China-
Burma-India theatre. The 33rd Fighter Group moved to
China in April 1944 to fly patrols and interdiction
missions with their new Thunderbolts whilst their
training was completed. Then in September 1944 the
group returned to India and was reassignedto the Tenth
Air Force. Their P-47Ds were employed mainly on
strafing and dive bombing in Burma until VJ-Day.
The 80th Fighter Group was given the job of
defending the Indian end of the transport route over the
Himalayas, better known as the "Hump". Additionally
its Thunderbolts hit Japaneseairfields and safeguarded
Allied airbases in the area. The group's Distinguished
Unit Citation was awarded for a mission on 27 March
1944 against a large escorted Japanesebomber formation
bent on destroying a large Assam oil refinery.
The lst Air Commando Group which equipped with
P-47Ds in May 1944 specialisedin ground support in
Burma and in bomber escort duties to Rangoon and
elsewhere.Its mainly "razorback" Thunderbolts were
distinctively marked with five diagonal stripesjust aft of
the cockpit and like many of the P-47s in the CBI
theatre carried directional finding radio equipment
with an external loop behind the pilot.
The 33rd Fighter Group was transferred to the US
Tenth Air Force from the Fourteenth. whose other P-47D
group was the 8lst Fighter Group. It went to China in
May 1944, but only became fully operational in January
t945.
Several models of the P-47 evolved and did not
achieve production status, and quite a number of P47Ds
were used as development airframes. The radically
different XP-47H was employed to test the Chrysler
XIV-2220 sixteen cylinder liquid cooled inverted V
engine, and not specifically to improve the performance
of the Thunderbolt. The 2,500hp engine had several
novel features and was designedto develop high power
with minimum vibration. Two P-47D-15-RA airframes,
42-23297 and 42-23298, were set aside for conversion
by Republic at Evansville under subconrracr ro
Chrysler. The Thunderbolt's well-tried airframe was
redesigned forward of the firewall and uider the belly
from the nose radiator to a point aft of the rear petrol
tank. A General Electric CH5 turbo supercharger was
mounted in the lower rear fuselageand a l3ft (3963mm)
diarneter four-bladed Curtiss Electric propeller with
large conical spinner was fitted, this increasingthe over-
all length of the XP-47H to 39ft 2in (11938mm).
The wing guns were not installed: instead the space
accommodated carbon dioxide for the flight tests. The
first XP-47H flew on 26 July 1945 and made27 flights
before November. It achieved 490mph (789km/h) at
30,000fr(9l4am).
The Curtiss-built P-47Gs and Republic-produced
machines up to the P-47D-22-RE and P-47D-23-RA
models all had framed sliding cockpit canopies and
razorback rear fuselages. They suffered from a
dangerous 20 degree blind spot to the rear. A blown
glass "bubble" canopy giving all-round vision and a
modified windscreen was fitted to and tested on the last
 P-47D-5-RE (42-8702)which was redesignatedX^p-47K.
The radio equipment was repositioned and later the
XP-47K was the first Thunderbolt to have the long-
range wing with integral fuel cells, similar in fact to that
for the P-47N. The new canopy and modified rear
decking radically changed the appearance of the
standard serviceThunderbolt. After successfultests the
new style cockpit cover was introduced on production
aircraft commencing with the P-47D-25-RE and
P-47D-26-RA batches. Lateral instability caused by the
cut-down rear fuselage and loss of keel area was
corrected by a shallow dorsal fin added to the
P -47D-27-F.Eand subsequentmodels.
The XP-47L was the last P-47D-20-RE (42-j6614)
on which was introduced a redesigned main fuel tank
holding an extra 65 gallons (246 litres), six oxygen
cylinders instead of four and other minor refinements.
The changesmade on t\e XP-47L were incorporated in
the production Thunderbolts starting with the
P-47D-25-REs.
The menace of the German Vl resulted in a rushed
production model of the Thunderbolt. Three
P47D-27-R.E airframes (42-27385, 42-27386 and
42-27388),were modified to take the Pratt and Whitney
R-2800-57(C) engine and the larger CH5 turbo
supercharger. The resulting war emergencypower with
water injection was 2,800hp at 32,500ft (9755m). Air
brakes were fitted beneath the wings, and the yp-47Ms
as they were designated, became the test prototypes for
the 130 P-47Ms subsequentlybuilt. All the P47M-l-REs
were sent to the 56th Fighter Group in England where
most were fitted with additional shallow dorsal fins.
The penultimate P47D-27-P.E (42-27387)out of 615
built was taken from the line and reworked as the
XP-47N. Its fuselage was basically that of a P-47M. Its
engine was a Pratt & Whitney R-2800-57 with CH5
turbo supercharger and regulator. Most important,
however, it had the new blunt-tipped extended-span
long-range wing eventually fitted to the single
XP-47K. This was lSin (457mm) longer than the
standard D wing and added 22sq ft (2.04sq m) to the
wing area. It allowed space for four inter-connected
wing root fuel cells which were self sealing and which
gave the aircraft as much internal fuel again as the D
model. Moreover, the undercarriage track was wider,
the ailerons were bigger and the flaps larger. The model
also had many detail improvements such as new tyres,
wheels and brakes, an improved engine mount,
redesignedengine cowl flaps and operating mechanism,
increased oil tankage and double the previous water/
alcohol capacity.
In combat, the P-47D Thunderbolt was equal to any
fighter it met and superior to most when fitted with a
paddle-bladed propeller and equipped with water
injection. (The P-47D-1l-RE was the first version to
have water injection.) It was the heaviestsingle-engined
single-seat fighter of the war. Yet it was able to out-
perform enemy fighters at altitudes above 15,000ft
(4572m), and with a superior rate of roll could carry out
escape manoeuvres they were often unable to follow.
The P-47 could both outdive the BflO9G and Fwl9OA
and overhaul them in level flight. Similarly the weight
which gave the Thunderbolt high speed in a dive
could be used to augment the zoom climb. It was a steady
gun platform with a terrific punch from its eight
0 .5 0 in( l2. 7m m ) m a c h i n eg u n s .
Engine failure dogged early P-47 operations for many
weeks. The causewas attributed to blown cylinder heads
resulting from manifold pressureswhich were too high
and incorrect manipulation of turbo supercharger
controls. Modification to the turbo superchargersand
the fitting of inter-connected controls rectified the
trouble, but not before a number of P-47s had been lost.
The worst problem was radio interference. British VHF
sets were fitted to all P-47s and changes made to
magnetos, generatorsand sparking plugs.
The Thunderbolt's ability to absorb enormous
damage and yet return home is shown by the narrow
escape of top ace Robert S Johnson following his
encounter with an Fwl90 on 26 June 1943. He contrived
to bring his battered P47C-2-F.E (41-6235HV-p) back
to Manston despite 2l jagged holes from 20mm cannon
shells and more than 100 bullet holes. His p-47's torn
cockpit cover was twisted and jammed, and would not
slide back. Three 20mm cannon shells had burst against
the armour plate behind Johnson's head and one had
exploded in the cockpit next to his left hand, ripping
away the flap handle. There were five cannon holes in
the starboard wing and four in the port. Two cannon
shells had blasted away the lower half of the rudder.
With minimal forward vision through the oil spattered
windscreen, yet unable to bail out, Johnson had to land
the machine without flaps, brakes or hydraulics. His
aircraft was a write-off. Johnson himself had bullet
wounds to his nose and right thigh, burns on his forehead,
shell splinters deeply embedded in both hands, and eyes
badly swollen due to leaking hydraulic fluid.
Below 10,000ft (3048m) the Thunderbolt was very
sluggish, especiallywhen carrying full fuel and external
stores. Manoeuvrability was poor, but as the altitude
increased, handling qualities improved, until at high
altitude the aircraft's performance was superlative. per-
formance was directly related to the efficiency of the
turbo superchargerwhich gave a constant power output
graph right up the altitude scale. For a fighter, the
Thunderbolt had a big roomy comfortable cockpit
regulated by a good temperature control.
As soon as Eighth Air Force headquartersin England
realised there was a paramount need for fighter escorts
to accompany Fortresses and Liberators on long
daylight raids, VIIIth Fighter Command experimented
with severaltypes of jettisonable long-range tanks on its
P-47s.
As early as 28 July 1943, P-4'ls from the 4th and 78th
Fighter Groups, with belly tanks inireasing their
radius to 260 miles for the first time, gave escort cover
to Eighth Air Force B-l7s withdrawing from bombing
north-west Germany. More than 100 P-47s, each with a
20ogal (757 litre) unpressurised pressed paper belly
tank, met the heavy bombers over the German-Dutch
frontier as they returned from Kassel and Oschersleben
(their deepest penetration to date). In the ensuing
battle, the Thunderbolts claimed nine enemy fighters
for the loss of oneP-47. Then on 12 August 1943, the
56th Fighter Group joined in to fly its first droptank
mission, using the same troublesome belly tanks. They
were held to the P-47s by four-point suspension.There
were all kinds of problems. The tanks were not good
aerodynamically. Pilots found that they were unable to
climb much above 20,000f1(6096m) without fuel starva-
tion when drawing from the belly tanks. So the tanks
were only partly filled and used to take the Thunderbolts
ll9

Fig. 19 A P-47D-30-RE,one of the 446 P-47Ds that went to the
Annie de I'Air. It has the normal French roundels (blue centres) with
yellow outer surrounds and rudder flashes (blueforemost). Colouring
is olive drab and neutral grey. Below the cockpit is the famous Sioux
Indian head of the Ie Escadrille of GC II/5. It survives at the
Chalais-Meudon museum.[Harry Holmes]
up to that height and jettisoned. Fittings on the tanks
were awkward and liable to break and patched tanks
were common.
By the end of August 1943, the 75gal (284 litre)
teardrop-shaped metal belly tanks in use were an
improvement. They were combined with a pressurised
system designed by an Air Technical Section team
under Colonel CassHough which used the Thunderbolt's
vacuum pump. They increasedthe aircraft's duration by
about half an hour and its radius of action to 280 miles
(451km).But thesetanks did not allow fightersto escort
the heavy bombers into the heart of Germany where
fighter protection would become imperative.
It was not until the first lO8gal (409 litre) metal
drop tanks were delivered in early September and
similar capacity British-made paper tanks were available
that Thunderbolts could escort the B-17s right into
German airspace. On 27 September whilst escorting
the heavies to Emden, Thunderbolts carrying lO8gal
tanks flew 400 miles mainly over water and inflicted a
2l to I defeat over defending Luftwaffe fighters.
Each British-made l08gal paper tank was formed in
F ig.2 O A P - 4 7 D - 4 0 - R Ao fth e USAF p h o to g r a p h e d p o stWW2. Ithadthel arge"buzz"numberFF-43Ionthefusel agesi des,rednose, w i ng
tips, fin tip and diagonal stripes. The top of the fuselage, including the shallow dorsal fin, was painted olive drab. [Harry Holmes]
r20
three sections. The centre section containing two
plywood baffle bulkheads, metal filler cap, vent pipe
and fuel draw connection, was straight wound in paper
until a wall thickness of %ein (8mm) was achieved.
Projecting internal reinforcing rings at each end of the
centre section facilitated the joining of separately
moulded nose and tail sections. The adhesive was urea
formaldehyde.
Introduced at the beginning of 1944 were improved
P47D Thunderbolts with fuselage and wing strongpoints
for bombs or fuel tanks. Combat radius with a single
l50gal (568 litre) belly tank was increased to 425 miles
(684km), and with two l5Ogal wing tanks to 475 miles
(765km). Machines from P-47D-25-REs onwards had
increased main tankage (370gal or 1400 litres) and
provision for a total fuel load of up to 780gal (2954 litres).
Combat radius was beyond Berlin and Thunderbolts
flew over the city for the first time on escort duty
in March 1944.
SPECIFICATION
Powerplant: One Pratt & Whitney R2800 or -59 eighteen-
cylinder radial air-cooledengineof 2,300hp or 2,535hp.
Dimensions: Span 40ft 9sAsin(12429mm); length 36ft
l % oi n (11003mm).
Weights: Empty 10,0001b (4536kg), normal loaded
14,0001b(6350kg),maximum loaded 17,5001b(7nakd.
Performance.'Max speed353mph (568km/h) at 5,000ft
(1524m), 406mph (653km/h) at 20,000ft (6096m),
433mph (697km/h) at 30,000ft (9144m). Max rate of
climb 2,750ftlmin (838m/min) at 5,000ft (1524m),
2,l40ft/min (642m/min) at 20,000ft (6096m). Time to
altitude 4.3min to 10,000ft (3048m), l1.0min to
20,000ft (6096m). Service ceiling 4z,00r}ft (l280lm).
Range 640 miles (l030km) at 278mph (447.4km/h) at
25,000ft (7620m) (internal fuel only), 925 miles
(1488.6km) at 23l mph (371.8 km/h) at 10, 000f t
(30a8m) (max external fuel).
Armament: Eight .50in (l2.7mm) Browning machine
guns with 267 or 425rpg plus three 5001b (227kg) or
two l,000lb (454kg) bombs on underwing pylons, or
underwingrockets.
{,,s
SrC
***
"3%
This book brings together the first six titles of the widely acclaimeci Aerodata Interna-
tional series of aircraft monographs. Designed principally for scale modellers, these
monographs provide a unique combination of line drawings in the popular 7172 scale,
photographs, sketches and narrative (including technical data). The multi-view plans
and detail sketches, meticulously researched and drawn to unprecedently high
standards by Alfred Granger, MISTC, give the modeller everything he needs to know
to check the accuracy of plastic kits or scratch-build his own mgdels from wood or
plastic. Altogether, Aerodata International monographs are a "must", not only for
modellers but indeed for all aviation enthusiasts.
In this first collection of Aerodata International monographs, the spotlight is upon
some famous single-seat fighter aircraft of World War TWo: those immortal fighting
partners the early Spitfire and Hurricane of Battle of Britain fame and thefu worthy
opponent the Messerschmitt 109E; the Focke-Wulf 190, which was arguably the
Lufuwaffe's best piston-engined fighter of the later war years; the rugged Thunder-
bolt, largest and heaviest single-seat piston-engined fighter ever produced and
outstanding in the ground-attack role; and the illustrious Mustang, a machine origi-
nally designed and built to meet an RAF requirement and which eventually became
the most-produced and most successful US fighter of WW2.

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tsBN 0-89747-109.1